


Of Midnight and Moonlight

by LikeMeReckless



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Drugging, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:49:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 125,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LikeMeReckless/pseuds/LikeMeReckless
Summary: In the sleepy town of Riverdale, hidden between the trees of Fox Forest, a werewolf pack resides. The Serpent Pack, led by the Jones family, has kept peace within the pack and surrounding packs for years.Betty Cooper has always felt like an outsider- a human born Halfbreed living among the wolves, waiting to see if she’d shift when the time came. But what chaos and surprise will shifting bring? Can the Serpent pack handle the secrets and the firestorm headed their way?
Relationships: Alice Cooper/FP Jones II, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 524
Kudos: 336
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys! This one is just for fun! My last two involved so much research and planning and I wanted to take a break before sequels to just have a bit of fun with our fave duo! I hope you enjoy this mindless supernatural creation.
> 
> So much thanks to JandJSalmon for the edits and support!!!

**Fox Forest**

**July 2004**

In the covering of the trees where the willows hung low, blanketing out the clearing from prying eyes, they began their dance. The dance began like many others; left foot, right foot, sidestep, but would end in death. The fireflies had gone blank, vacating the open space they normally frequented, blinking like beams of starlight. 

“Penelope,” Alice stammered, pulse racing and eyes wild. “Please, take the girls.”

With gentle hands on their backs, the two young children were led away, back through a drape in the trees and into the dark forest towards home.

Centered in the clearing stood two men, both muscular and large in stature, circling each other like vultures in Death Valley as a crowd of men and women gathered around them, spitting and snarling with excitement and anger.

“Before this begins,” another brown-haired man spoke. “Do you wish to leave any last messages or goodbyes? This will be a fight to the death.”

FP removed the toothpick from between his teeth and grinned at his opponent, tossing the wooden speck to the ground below before shaking his head. “I’m all set, Fred.”

“And you, Hal?”

Hal stared back at FP, the current Alpha, bred from a long line of pack leaders, and sneered. Never removing his eyes from his opponent, his mouth snapped open angrily. “Alice!” he spat.

Alice glanced over at FP frantically and shook her head, grabbing at Thomas Topaz’s arm roughly. 

“Alice!” Hal growled again. “Now!”

Fred looked nervously between the men before FP held up a hand.

“You don’t get to say goodbye to her, Hal. You don’t deserve that. We all know how you’ve abused her. Now it’s your turn.”

For the first time, Hal’s confidence faltered as he tossed one more devilish, angry glare over in his wife’s direction. He could only spare a moment though as Fred backed away and held out two hands. Immediately, the grunts and shouts of the crowd amplified, almost masking the first sounds of the cracks of bone before him. 

With his back arched, FP began to transform, paws taking the place of hands and wild, yellow eyes sitting above snarling teeth. Hal wasted no time and shifted as well, his tan wolf similar in size and stature to FP’s black form.

They clashed at once, jaws snapping and claws slashing, rolling one another over in the grass, teeth gnashing for fatal wounds. 

One by one, caught up in the excitement, the spectators began to shift, their wild forms howling and chanting as the looming air of death hung over the field. Alice alone remained clothed and unchanged.

The black wolf’s back leg went out, sprawling him into the grass as the tan wolf advanced over him, his jaws pulled back over his teeth almost as if in a sneer. As Hal moved over him, dark eyes locating a spot for the kill, FP swung out his injured leg, effectively flipping their position before grinning in his wolf form and biting into Hal’s throat. With a guttural growl and tear, he watched the surprise and life fade from Hal’s eyes, the tan wolf now lying deathly still in the grass.

Panting, FP staggered to the side and licked at his wounds before shifting himself back into his human form. The rest of the crowd shifted along with him. 

The moment he had changed, Alice was at his side, applying herbs and poultices to his wounds which were already beginning to heal from his licks. Gently, FP moved her hand away and stood hands raised in triumph as his pack members shouted. 

“I am the Alpha!” FP screamed out wildly. “I am the Alpha! No one forget that!”

With the pack growling again, a shorter, yet substantial man stepped forward.

“What will become of Alice now?” Hiram Lodge questioned, gesturing towards her. “We can’t let her live. She knows all of our secrets.”

FP stepped in front of Alice and flared at the pack.

“Alice stays with us,” he warned them. “She and her children may not be harmed.”

“But she’s human,” Hiram said with a disgusted curl of his lip. “She doesn’t belong here!”

FP lurched forward at once, his face pressed up against Hiram’s, staring him down before turning to the pack as a whole.

“Alice has been loyal to us for ten years,” he yelled out. “She has cultivated our specialized gardens, helped us make peace with the Greendale witches, and has supplied us with food at the lodge and poultices she crafts with Hilda and Zelda Spellman that heal us quickly when the moon is not full. She may not shift, but she is one of us. Her children may shift in their future, and if they do, they will need a pack. And that pack will be the Serpents!”

Cheers arose in agreement all around and FP offered her a small wink before lumbering into the crowd, celebrating his victory as the moon shone brightly.

…..

**Preserve Playground**

**May 2011**

“I could totally outrun you,” Archie said cockily as Chuck pretended to stretch up against a bench nearby. “No doubt in my mind.”

“You couldn’t beat me in human or wolf form, Andrews,” he shot back. “You lack the lightness of foot that I so easily bring to the track.”

Kevin and Betty sat on a nearby bench, sharing a bag of Doritos and watching the boys banter. This was a common occurrence for the playground.

“Just think,” Kevin shuddered. “One day those two will probably be council members for Jughead. I can just see the head-butting and one-upmanship that will go on in that lodge.”

“Kev,” Betty giggled. “Jug wouldn’t let that happen, he’s serious about his future role.”

“Maybe,” Kevin agreed. “And maybe when you shift he will bite you and you’ll be his Lumina.”

Betty rolled her eyes and shoved him. “Get real, Kev. I’ll be lucky if I even shift when it’s time after what happened with Polly. And besides, he would never pick a halfbreed to be his Lumina. It will be V or Toni. I’m sure of it.”

Betty grew quiet, thinking about the past week with Polly. Her sister had been  _ so _ happy. She had come bounding down the stairs to tell them she had finally gotten her period, which meant that if she were to shift, it would happen that week on the full moon. It was a good sign that the two events coincide since the moon usually guided cycles, heats, and fertility for the females of the pack, even the halfbreeds. 

It was a not so secret thing why Polly had been waiting for so long, exchanging love notes with Jason Blossom in her locker, planning to announce their relationship publicly as soon as she changed. Penelope and Alice had grown very close through the years, and would no doubt encourage the match as soon as it was possible. Polly even believed they were soulmates, a rare, but possible pack situation.

Ordinarily, at eighteen when they were fully grown, werewolves joined themselves with the mate of their choice, usually having sensed them at some point after they turned sixteen. For others, they wouldn’t find their mate until they were older. Sometimes couples were introduced by family or parents and partnerships could be arranged, but mating was always by choice. Couples could choose to mark each other and remain mates for life or if they weren’t ready for anything permanent or if they hadn’t yet found their mate, they could just find another pack member to cozy up to temporarily. The third possibility was a soulmate match. 

Though they had once been common, soulmate matches had become rare in the werewolf world. In the Serpent pack, there was only one soulmated couple. Myles and Sierra McCoy had gotten their marks when Sierra had come of age. She had been thirteen and he was fourteen when the brands had appeared over their chests, right over where their pack tattoos would be inked when they turned eighteen.

  
  


Polly was convinced that would happen with her and Jason. For the next four days, both Polly and Alice had been absent preparing for the full moon. Because Betty was younger, she wasn’t allowed at the ritual, but when they came home days later, she had greeted them happily, and Polly had just ignored her, saying nothing, and storming up to her room. Alice stood at the bottom of the stairs, shaking her head sadly at Betty. Polly hadn’t spoken to either of them since.

“Earth to Betty,” Kevin called, bringing her back to the present. “I asked if you wanted to bet on it? I’ve got five bucks on Chuck.”

“Ten,” Betty said, upping the ante. “And I’m for Arch.”

As they watched the race unfold, the boys were neck in neck. Kevin cheered on Chuck as loud as he could while Betty focused silently on Archie, clenching her fists tightly in support. As they neared a bend in the track, Chuck’s foot caught an upturned tree root and he stumbled over, Archie pulling ahead and crossing the finish line.

“Yes!” Betty yelled, clapping loudly and sticking her hand towards Kevin. “Ten bucks, my friend.”

Kevin mumbled something about roots growing out of nowhere and things being unfair but slapped the cash into Betty’s palm anyway. She used it to buy them ice cream on their way home.

  
  


**Sweetwater Creek**

**August 2014**

Betty sat on the shore at the water’s edge, dipping her toes into the cool stream. 

In the water, Archie, Jughead, Reggie, and Chuck played chicken, shoving and splashing while trying to knock each other from their perches. Veronica, Cheryl, Josie, Ethel, and Toni were soaking up the sunshine by tanning at the river’s edge. 

Betty wasn’t purposely excluded from any of this. If she wanted, she could walk over and lay with the girls and they’d happily indulge her in girl talk about the moronic boys now dunking each other in the creek. But the truth was, no matter how kind they were, she always felt like an outsider. 

They were all natural-born werewolves, shifting from early childhood. Even as pups they began to engage in moonlight runs and pack training. They were taught to track, hunt, and defend themselves from threats. Betty, as part-human on her mother’s side, knew she may never shift. Her sister hadn’t. She had been waiting patiently for years for puberty to hit. The first full moon after her period would signify if she inherited any of her father’s wolf genes or if she was to remain merely human. Unfortunately, she was what Cheryl called a ‘late bloomer.’ At twelve, she still remained in the dark about her fate.

A sudden dripping on her shins drew her eyes back to the scene, and the boy, in front of her.

“You coming in, Betts, or are you just going to sit there and sweat all day?” Jughead teased, sitting on a rock by her side.

Betty smiled, her body warmed from the inside out and not only from the sun. Since the previous school year, whenever she spoke with Jughead, she felt like the marshmallow on a s’more; warm and gooey, about to slide off its cracker at any moment. Her pulse quickened and she hoped the slight blush on her cheeks would be attributed to the summer heat. “Hey, Juggie,” she smiled. “I was thinking about it, but didn’t want to get knocked out by a rogue foot from Reggie.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Reggie is still working on his hand-eye coordination. You should have seen him at last week’s training. He…”

Jughead trailed off, seeing the mirth fade from Betty’s face at the mention of training. While she attended school with all of them, she was excluded from pack activities.

“Sorry,” he shrugged, placing his palm on her knee. A jolt of heat flowed through her and she jerked her limb away. “I’m sure you’ll shift when the time comes, Betts. I can just tell.”

“Oh, is it your advanced future Alpha senses?” Cheryl teased as the gang approached. “Can you sense that our dear Bettykins here is  _ finally _ soon to become a woman?”

While Cheryl’s teasing usually meant no harm, Betty blushed anyways at the mention of it all - especially in front of the boys. She was sure they were more immune to this type of chatter than regular boys. After all, when they returned to their human form after shifting they were always stark naked and no one batted an eye and they had all witnessed pack rituals and members going into heat. But things were very different for Betty. She’d been raised more reserved and shy.

“Knock it off, Cheryl,” Jughead snapped. 

“Hey, kids,” FP’s voice called from further down the shoreline. “Time for self defense. Let’s go.”

Stripping down from their swimsuits, one by one they began to shift and head down toward their training site. Jughead remained at Betty’s side.

“Are you coming, Jughead?” Ethel called hopefully. 

“Go ahead without me,” he said, keeping his eyes on Betty.

Sadly, Ethel shifted and headed to join the others.

“Don’t you have to go, Jug?” Betty asked as she finally slipped from the shore and into the stream.

Glancing down, he saw his father waiting for him, a knowing yet expectant grin on his face.

“Yeah,” he sighed, running his hands nervously through his hair. “I do. I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I left.”

“I’m fine, Jug,” she reassured him, trying to force a smile. “You know, one day you will make a really great Alpha.”

“And you, wolf or not, will be important in this pack. I can feel it, Betty.”

With one more tight smile, Betty nodded at him before averting her eyes as he shifted and took off after their friends.

Alone in the creek, she sank back, submerging her body underwater and willing herself not to cry. Polly was always so closed off and angry about their situation. She hadn’t shifted when the time came. She was completely human. She was the only other non-wolf her age around the preserve and she barely gave Betty the time of day. 

Coming up from under the water she glanced around at the peaceful banks of the shore. The summer heat had wilted the blossoms that were normally lush and beautiful. As she stared at the buds, she reached her hand out towards them, skimming her fingers on the water’s surface. 

As little rings spread out from the center towards the shore, getting larger as they rippled, the blank buds began to bloom, large pink flowers emerging from where none stood before. Yanking her hand back, Betty glanced around, looking for Sabrina or her friends hidden in the trees teasing her. Sensing no one there, she waded from the water in her pink swimsuit and grabbed her clothes, not bothering to redress as she made her way home.

…..

**Lodge Household**

**April 2015**

“Happy birthday to you!” the room finished singing as Veronica blew out the candles on her cake, smiling and taking a bow at the clapping around her.

Hermione cut and passed around the slices of chocolate cake as they all dug in, some wolves faster than others. The party had started at eight because many of the festivities began outside after dark. Veronica had insisted Betty at least come for pizza and cake, knowing she wouldn’t be able to participate later in the night.

“So, what is the plan for the rest of the evening?” Toni asked, tossing her cake plate on the table.

“Well,” Veronica grinned. “My parents arranged a little game of capture the flag out in the woods for us tonight, followed by a bonfire back here and then maybe some truth or dare?”

“Oh yeah!” Reggie clapped, laughing obnoxiously. “Someone is kissing Reggie tonight!”

“Gross,” Cheryl blanched. “No one is kissing Reggie tonight.”

“Betty will kiss me,” Reggie shrugged. “I mean, she’s human so it’s not like anyone else is going to kiss her. I’ll take one for the team. She’s getting cute.”

Jughead stood from where he was seated in the corner, a scowl on his face. Though not as broad as Archie or Reggie, the Alpha blood running through him gave off an air of danger. “No one is kissing Betty.”

The room went silent as all eyes fell on him and then Betty, no one arguing with his command. Reggie nodded mutely, conceding and Jughead sat back down against the wall, his eyes momentarily flicking over towards Betty’s flushed, embarrassed face.

“Let’s head out and start the game,” Veronica suggested. “Before we have an actual fight rather than a staged one.”

They headed out into the front lawn and Veronica started to divide them up into two teams, herself as one captain and Jughead as the other. 

“Your team has an extra player,” Moose complained. “How is that fair?”

Veronica shrugged. “It’s my party and we have an odd number of wolves?”

“What about Betty?” Jughead asked suddenly as Betty slid on her sweater, preparing to leave.

“What about her?” Ethel laughed. “I mean, I love Betty, no offense. But how could she even keep up with us?”

“It’s fine guys,” Betty smiled, offering Veronica a hug goodbye. “I understand. I had a great time, V. I’ll call you tomorrow. Happy Birthday.”

“She could ride me,” Jughead blurted out of nowhere as all eyes turned to look at him. “I mean, we’re huge when we shift and can carry ten times our weight. Why can’t Betty just hitch a ride? Even if she isn’t running herself, she can at least finish out the party.”

Veronica quirked an eyebrow at Jughead and smirked knowingly. “Okay, Jones. Now teams are even.”

“Guys, no,” Betty said, shaking her head. “You really don’t need to…”

“Can’t disappoint your future Alpha, B,” Veronica shrugged before signaling her team and stripping down to shift. 

Before she knew it, a giant black wolf was nudging her hand. She ran her hand through his fur as the wolf nudged her again and gestured to its back. With a shaking breath, she climbed onto Jughead’s back and no sooner had she gripped his fur that the wind was rushing against her skin as he ran.

They darted through the trees, back and forth, in and out, like it was a preplanned route, his feet never slipping. A red, broad wolf ran up next to them that she immediately recognized as Archie. She could swear he smiled before taking off in the direction of the other team. Once at their base, Jughead stopped and Betty slid her way off of him, her friends all shifting back into human form to talk strategy.

“What’s the plan, boss?” Toni asked as Jughead became himself again. 

“You guys know Veronica,” he said with an eye roll. “With her, it’s always about deception and a grand show. She took the north side of the woods so she wants us to  _ think _ she hid the flag on the water tower. But in actuality, she probably stationed it right in the clearing, out in the open to pick us off  _ and _ it’s hard to see since it’s not high up”

Betty listened in, impressed at the reasoning. She had never played this game before and hadn’t realized it involved so much strategy. Her attention was only partial as she couldn’t fathom having an entire conversation with her immediate friend group buck naked in a forest.

“So, if it’s out in the open like that, and they are tracking us, how do we get it?” Kevin asked sarcastically, fiddling his arms across his chest.

“Easy,” Jughead grinned. “Betty.”

“Betty?” six other voices answered.

“Betty,” Jughead repeated. 

“Me?” Betty was confused. “I’m the slowest one here and the only one who can’t shift. I stick out like a sore thumb!”

Toni took a defensive stance and laughed. “She can’t even look at us right now. How is she going to win us the game?”

“Well, you’re all naked!” she bit back. “Get some clothes and I’ll happily look!”

“Why don’t you get naked,” Toni argued good-naturedly. “You’re in the minority.”

“Enough!” Jughead yelled. “Have you guys ever smelled Betty?” 

“Smelled me?” Betty cried out, flabbergasted.

“Toni, you always smell like the creek in spring. Kevin, you’re earthy and tree-like, almost the forest in fall. Chuck, you’re… well to be fair, mostly body spray,” Jughead explained. “But we  _ know _ each other’s scents. We are looking for them. No one is looking for Betty’s.”

Devious smirks flashed around the group. He was right. Betty was their secret weapon.

“What do you need me to do?” Betty asked as the group converged to strategize.

The plan was simple. A first wave would head toward the water tower, their scent drawing some of the other team away. A second wave would head towards the field but fan outward towards the trees, driving the others deeper into the forest. Betty would army crawl through the grass and towards the flag. The brush and her scent should conceal her enough to reach the flag before they realized what was happening.

“This is genius,” Moose grinned. “I can’t believe you thought of this.”

“Every member of a pack is useful,” Jughead shared, nudging Betty’s elbow. “My dad taught me that.”

As Josie, Toni, and Moose headed out towards the water tower, Chuck, Kevin, and Ethel began their trek towards the field. Jughead hung back with Betty, allowing them to get a bit of a head start.

Shifting back into his wild form, he walked alongside Betty at her pace.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, part of the way into their destination. “You didn’t have to do this and maybe you did it just because it's a good strategy. But thank you anyway.”

His only response was a wolf lick to her palm, earning him a smile. Jughead would have preferred to be strolling hand-in-hand with her through the trees, but somehow thought she’d be more comfortable if he was wearing a fur coat.

When they reached the clearing, he shifted back as they ducked behind a group of trees.

“They will pick up my scent soon,” he whispered. “They’ll have detected everyone else by now. Stay low and head for the middle while I run and distract them.”

Betty gave a tight nod and took a deep breath as he shifted and ran off. Laying down in the leaves and grass, she began to shimmy through the woods and out into the clearing staying as low as she could. Sticks and foliage scratched at her skin, but she continued on anyway. This was the first time ever she was included in a pack game and there was no way she was not going to help her team win.

She paused for a moment to listen for approaching paws but heard nothing. Flicking a bug from her wrist, she braved a glance forward and saw the red flag waving about fifty yards up ahead. She decided to shimmy herself halfway there before making a run for it. Her friends were fast, but at least two-hundred yards away on either side. She’d get there first.

She heard voices far off in the distance now- shouting and growling as they tracked each other down. Sooner rather than later they might notice she was missing. With a deep breath, she resumed her wiggling until the flag was in clear view. Pushing up onto her elbows and noting the coast was clear, Betty saw the field empty and moved into a crouch. With a final jump, she stood up completely and made a break for the flag.

“What the actual-” Betty heard someone yell from the tree line sing with choruses from her captured comrades. “Go, Betty! Run!”

The wolves bolted from the trees, but it was too late. Betty’s hand reached the flag and she waved it wildly in the air. Her team erupted in growls and cheers as they shifted and ran out into the field to celebrate.

Even though it meant their loss, Veronica and Cheryl embraced Betty, admitting that she had bested them this time and that it was masterful. Jughead hung back from the rowdy pack, smiling and watching their antics, but mostly watching Betty smile happily, still a bit shy at the praise from their more outgoing friends.

After a bit of teasing from her team, Veronica announced it was time to head back to her house for more snacks and debauchery. Shifting, they ran off into the woods one by one, Betty still standing in the field now gazing up at the sky.

Jughead was now approaching as his shaggy, black counterpart. He nudged at her hand with no response. As the gray clouds parted and the almost-full moon appeared, he saw Betty’s eyes gleam silver rather than her normal green, the circle of the moon replacing her own luminescent orbs. Moving further around to her front, her skin almost shone in the stream of moonlight flashing on her body, he watched as Betty opened her lips and spoke as if commanded by the moon.

“Im am i ithil a i ithil na- nin. Im am i coe a i coe na- nin. Im am nature a nature na- nin. Im am.”

He was unfamiliar with the dialect she was speaking. It wasn’t English or any of the Latin they had learned in their classes. Suddenly there was an intense burning against his chest and he winced and growled at the fire under his skin. When the sudden sensation ebbed and before he could shift to regain his hands, Betty’s body crumpled to the ground, the silver fading from her eyes as they closed tightly.

…..

**Serpent Lodge**

She came too slowly, now lying on a soft surface with muffled voices arguing around her.

“What were you thinking boy?” FP roared. “Taking her out into the woods like that? What if the game got too rough? What if there was another pack around?”

“I would have protected her,” Jughead snapped back at his father.

“You’re fourteen, boy,” he laughed. “A grown wolf would have torn you apart.”

“Enough!” Alice snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “I’m sure Jughead’s intentions were good, FP. I just want to know how she wound up back here, over his shoulder, as limp as a sack of potatoes.”

“I’d be interested, too,” Betty said, her voice thick and scratchy.

“Betty!” Alice yelled out, releasing a giant sigh at her now coherent state. “You had us so worried!”

Betty looked around the room. FP, Jughead, her mother, Penelope, Hilda, and Mrs. Klump all gathered in a spare bedroom at the Serpent Lodge where Jughead must have carried her after her episode.

She wasn’t surprised by the eclectic crowd. FP would of course be involved as the Alpha of the pack and Mrs. Klump was their pack healer, a human married to one of the wolves in the pack. Hilda and Penelope were very close to her mother and they would have wanted to help in any way she could.

“What happened?” Betty asked Jughead, the confusion apparent on her face. “All I remember is taking the flag and hugging V… then everything went dark.”

“Oh dear, that sounds like a hex,” Hilda shuddered to herself.

FP crossed his arms and paced back and forth, angrily swiping at his face. “Were any of the witches from the school nearby involved in the game?”

Jughead shook his head. “No, just the pack. One minute Betty was smiling and then everyone started to shift and leave and when I looked up at her, it was like her stare was blank. Her eyes… they went silver like the moon and she started speaking in nonsense, words I’ve never heard. And then there was this deep, burning pain in my chest and when it stopped, Betty was on the ground.”

Penelope barked out a laugh, as Alice, FP, and Hilda eyed each other warily. “None of that makes any sense!”

“You’re right,” FP jumped in quickly. “It doesn’t and we won’t make more sense of it tonight. Why don’t you all head out and Alice and Betty, you stay here tonight so Betty can rest.”

With the Alpha’s tone set and authoritative, no one questioned him. Penelope and Mrs. Klump offered Betty small hugs and well wishes as they made their way out of the room, holding the door open for Hilda to follow.

“Hilda and I have other business to discuss,” FP told them, watching as Penelope gave a final, curious glance over at Betty before closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door was closed, FP was on Jughead, tugging at his t-shirt to pull it off.

“What the hell, Dad?” he barked back at him.

“Just take off the damn shirt, Jughead,” FP growled, his tone one of no-nonsense.

With a slight glare at his father, Jughead lifted off the t-shirt he was wearing, revealing a burned brand, similar in appearance to a willow tree, on his chest.

“What the hell?” he muttered, licking his finger to try and wash the smudge away but the marking stuck, a permanent part of his skin. “What is this, Dad? How did you know?”

FP glanced over at Alice and she made her way to Betty’s side, smiling at her to calm her nerves before sliding the cardigan sweater she wore off her shoulders to reveal the tank top she wore beneath. With the scoop neck leaving a good amount exposed, Betty gasped as Alice looked to FP and nodded. The same symbol was burned onto the skin of Betty’s chest. 

Jughead and FP trudged around the side of the room and stopped to glance at her mark as well, Betty flushing and hunching her shoulders inward.

“That’s the same as mine,” Jughead stammered. “It’s exactly the same. What does that mean, Dad? Is that…”

Alice wrapped an arm around Betty’s shoulders and helped her up from the bed, guiding her to the attached bathroom off to the side of the room, FP pulling Jughead away for a moment.

“Where are they going? Where is she taking her?” he blasted at his father. “What is going on?”

“Just- just give them a minute, boy,” FP sighed, perching on the window seat nearby and resting his elbows on his knees and his forehead on his hands.

A few moments later the light click of the bathroom door signaled their return, Alice nodding at FP and Betty blushing furiously at the knowledge that most of the room was aware of her current predicament. Alice guided her softly over to a chair and urged her to sit down, walking over to sit on the bench next to FP herself.

“Okay,” FP began sliding his hands down his face. “What we discuss from this point out stays in this room between just these people. Do you understand? Things could get very dangerous for Betty in many ways if this were to get out now.”

Betty and Jughead could sense the seriousness in his voice and both nodded in concession, Alice and Hilda already aware of what a dangerous position the kids were in.

“Dad,” Jughead asked again. “Please tell us what’s going on.”

“It’s a long story, Jughead,” Hilda said sweetly. “How about I make us some tea while we talk.”

They sat quietly, unmoving and without idle chatter while they waited for Hilda to return. When she re-emerged with a tray full of teacups and cookies, she offered Betty and Jughead the treats first, Jughead digging in right away.

“Eat something, dear,” Hilda urged Betty. “It will help.”

“You feel alright, Betty?” FP asked her, concerned. 

“I’m okay, Mr. Jones,” she smiled back meekly, the small waves of cramping in her stomach just now starting to take hold.

“It’s FP now, honey. At least in private. We are, after all, going to be family.”

Jughead choked on the cookie he was chewing, pounding on his chest and coughing it out.

“Way to ease into things, FP,” Alice chastised him with an eye roll, Betty staring at her mother amazed that she could speak to the Alpha in such a tone.

Betty put her cookie back down on her plate and found her voice. “I’m so confused and a little bit embarrassed here. Could someone please just tell us what’s going on?”

Alice nodded and moved to sit next to Betty, taking one of her hands in her own.

“In wolf evolution, there is a timeline for all things. At eighteen people can choose mates, and also earn their official pack tattoos, becoming an adult in pack society. When they choose a lifetime mate, this is when they would mark to signify their bond. Once this is done, they cannot separate save for leaving the pack or death. At that time, Jughead also becomes old enough to be Alpha. If FP no longer wishes to serve when Jughead turns eighteen, Jughead will take over as the Alpha of the pack.”

Betty and Jughead stared back at Alice as if to say they already knew this. It was nothing they hadn’t learned at school through the years.

“We get it, Mom,” Betty said sarcastically. “We know how the pack works.”

“Yes, Betty, I am aware of that,” Alice said, with an eyeroll. “But there is another bond, much rarer, that occurs when both partners in the match have finally hit puberty. Soul marking… like the McCoys.”

Alice stopped speaking to let that information sink in for a moment. Betty’s eyes widened in shock and it was difficult to stop staring at her mother and FP to meetJughead’s equally wide eyes.

Gesturing to his chest, Jughead looked over at his father. “So, what you are telling us, what you mean to say is this is… this…”

“That’s a soulmark boy,” FP finished for him.

“When Betty got her period tonight,” Alice began, rolling her eyes at Betty’s outburst of, ‘Mom!’

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Betty,” Alice groaned. “We all know it had to happen for you two to mark. It’s not exactly a secret. Anyway, the bond was instant.”

Betty and Jughead sat quietly again for a few moments. 

“So, Betty and I are like... fated? Mates for life,” Jughead repeated finally.

“Yeah,” FP grinned. “Which is amazing. A soul bond is- it’s intense and wonderful and so special. I trust Myles with my life and will have him educate you two on the impact it has. It’s quite rare in modern times. The only thing is, for you two, it’s also very dangerous for several reasons.”

Hilda nodded in agreement, silent up to that point. “That’s true, kids. There will be many pack members either jealous of Betty’s connection to their future Alpha or angry that she was only born of half were-blood.”

“Why would any of that matter?” Jughead asked, unsure of who in their pack would care about her bloodline.

“Well, she is to be your Lumina, essentially filling in for you as pack leader when you are away or indisposed. That may not sit well for some.”

Betty huffed out a laugh. “This is crazy. It’s all crazy.  _ You’re  _ all crazy! How- how can I be a soulmate or a Lumina when I’m not even a werewolf?”

“You will be, Betty,” FP said softly. “At the full moon in two days' time. That mark you got tonight doesn’t leave that up for wonderment any longer.”

Part of Betty seized internally. She was going to shift. She was  _ finally  _ going to shift and be able to participate in pack training with her friends. Her flicker of excitement was quickly sniffed out thinking of Polly and how angry she already was. Betty shifting, soul marking, and being a future Lumina would not sit well with her.

“But, Polly-” Betty began before Alice cut her off.

“Polly can’t know,” Alice said regretfully. “She’s still too hurt from her own predicament to be trusted.”

Jughead seemed to be thinking things through deeply as well and appeared to be processing information a bit better than Betty. Chewing at his lip, he glanced curiously at the adults in the room.

“So, this mark is what caused Betty’s eyes to glow and to speak in tongues?”

Hilda eyed FP and Alice again before taking a deep breath and exhaling.

“Not exactly,” she admitted hesitantly.

“Ugh!” Betty groaned. “Enough with the secrets! Please, just tell us what we need to know!”

Alice sat up straighter and stiffened her upper body. “Fine, you want the whole truth? Here it is. But you both must guard this secret as deeply as your others and I mean this Betty with every fiber of my being. No one else can know.”

Betty swallowed nervously, her hands shaking. Jughead reached over to squeeze her fingers in his own. He figured if they had an entire lifetime bound to one another, he’d better start taking care of her right now.

“You know you are half-wolf, Betty,” Alice explained. “But the truth is, you aren’t actually half-human.”

Betty laughed at her mother’s words. “Mom, please,” she chortled. “You’re not a wolf, but Dad was. How can I be anything else?”

Alice looked off into the room, seemingly lost in reflection for a moment before FP came and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Let me, Ally,” he said gently, as she nodded in agreement.

“Betty, your mom isn’t what you think she is. She- she didn’t come from this world. The human world. I’m not sure how much you know about your father, but he wasn’t a kind man. He took your mother against her will in order to use her to gain power.”

Betty shook her head gently, squeezing a Jughead’s hand a bit tighter. “I still don’t understand, I mean, where were you from Mom? Like New Mexico? Milwaukee?”

“Betty,” FP continued. “Your mother is from the fae world. Your mother was… is, a fairy.”

For quite a while no one spoke. Betty stared at FP and her mother and then Hilda as if they had turned into a giant three-headed hydra.

“A fairy?” she finally said with a snort. “Like a flying, sparkling Tinkerbell?”

“Betty this is serious,” Alice barked.

“It’s true, love,” Hilda said solemnly. “The fae world is real, just as the witches and werewolves are.”

Betty’s jaw opened and closed a few times as she took it all in.

“But how? You’ve never done anything magical? How are you a fae?”

Alice looked at her daughter carefully, feeling awful for unloading so much on her at once. But she knew there was no other choice at this point.

“I’m not as strong as I was, but I still can do a great number of things. I help heal when I can, I ward the forest nearby for the pack’s safety, and I cultivate all the fresh food. You didn’t actually think I spent hours farming, did you?”

“Your father took Alice for her blood,” FP explained patiently. “By biting her and ingesting bits, he would gain strength to make his way up in the pack and gain power. Fae blood is  _ very  _ powerful and potent. We were afraid that once he was done using Alice he would discard her and move on to you or Polly since the more he used her, the weaker her magic grew. We didn’t know if either of you would inherit her genes.”

“What happened to Hal?” Jughead asked, finally breaking his silence. “We’ve only ever heard his name, but nothing else. I hardly remember him.”

“Hal… Hal challenged me for the Alpha spot, believing that with Alice’s blood magic he would be strong enough to defeat me and take over the pack. But Alice and I had already devised a plan to keep her blood from him before the fight began, and I was able to win. I killed him. I killed him so he couldn’t hurt Alice anymore, or you Betty.”

Betty’s hand began to tremble in Jughead’s and he could somehow sense her fear and confusion. It was an odd sensation and before he knew what his body was doing, his arm was around her shoulder and her head was pulled down onto his chest.

“Are you alright?” he asked her softly and she cried into his t-shirt.

“Am I alright?” she laughed. “I found out we are soulmates, I’m going to shift in two days' time, and I’m a fairy all within a matter of minutes. Oh, yeah, and cramps really suck.”

“It’s a lot, Betty,” Hilda agreed. “And cramps are awful. I have an herb for that. But you are strong enough to handle this. You’re special, dear.”

“Do you understand why we kept this from you?” Alice asked. “Why you two can’t let anyone know about anything that happened here tonight?”

They both nodded silently, out of words to speak for now.

“Good,” FP nodded. “There’s more.”

“What else?” Jughead grumbled. “Are you part vampire, Dad?”

“Relax boy,” FP warned. “This has to do with you and Betty. Being marked so young you’re going to… have urges. Urges you need to resist.”

“Dad, please. You don’t have to-”

“Oh, but I do,” FP said gruffly. “When you are eighteen and you give her the mark of the Lumina, you will consummate your match after the mating ceremony. It’s important you two wait until then for the bond to be the strongest it can be.”

Betty looked mortified at the thought of all this and Jughead could only glare, clearly frustrated with his father. “I’m fourteen, Dad, and we just got marked tonight. I don’t think sex is on my mind.”

“But it will be”, Alice warned. “Betty, Fae are  _ very  _ sexual creatures and you may feel that pull-”

“Oh my god, Mom!” she cried out covering her face.

“And boy, as future Alpha you are very virile, and will have the urge to assert your dominance.”

“Okay,” Jughead choked out. “Enough. We get it. Keep both secrets and pants zipped tightly. Anything else you want to drop on us tonight or is it all finally covered?”

The adults in the room eyed them cautiously, their shoulders finally deflating and tension draining.

“No,” Alice whispered. “That’s all.”

“Cmon, boy,” FP said tiredly. “Let’s let Betty get some rest. It’s been a long night and she has a lot coming up in the next few days.”

Jughead looked nervous and unsure for a moment, scratching behind his head.

“Can we… can Betty and I just have a minute?” he asked nervously.

Alice and Hilda smiled sweetly as they rose from their seats and FP nodded. “We’ll be out in the lounge when you’re ready.”

As the door shut, Jughead turned to Betty, pulling her head back from his chest.

“Are you alright?” he asked her softly. “I mean, not just appease the parents alright, but actually okay?”

Betty grabbed his hands again, missing their connection and sniffling a bit. 

“I’m okay. I’m just… I’m just  _ so  _ sorry, Jug,” she managed to choke out. “I’m so sorry you got saddled with me and all of this and you don’t get a choice. It’s not right. There are tons of other girls who-”

“Hey,” Jughead interrupted, tipping her chin up so her eyes met his. “I didn’t bring you to the game tonight so we could win. I brought you because if you weren’t there, I didn’t want to be there either.”

“Jug,” Betty whispered breathily. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that maybe fate chose for me, but it chose what I wanted.”

Slowly, he leaned in and carefully brushed his lips against hers in a most innocent, chaste kiss, before pulling back and smiling nervously.

“I’ll keep your secret and our secret, Betty,” he promised. “I swear it.”

“I know you will,” she smiled, leaning forward to hug him lightly, a bit afraid of what was to come.

…..

**Serpent Lodge**

**2 days later**

Clad in white, the women gathered around her., candles in the dark room the only light illuminating their features. Her skin had been painted with symbols and runes, inviting the full moon to enter her that night. The women from the pack sang and swayed around her, celebrating her first shift. 

They completed this ceremony for all female pack members entering womanhood, though most had already shifted before it. Betty thought she would be more mortified of people praising her for getting her period, but the incense they had hung had dilated her pupils and left her feeling calm and fuzzy.

When at last the sky was dark and clear, they headed out with lanterns to the clearing, Betty in front guided by her mother and Penelope, the rest of the pack trailing along behind her. 

When they reached the treeline, they held Betty back, her friends smiling and squeezing her shoulders as they passed, praying that when Betty stepped into the moonlight, she would shift. They were unaware that it was not in question for her any longer. 

Before they began that night, Hilda performed a glamour spell to hide her soulmark. It would only last a few hours, so she’d have to be careful shifting going forward. They decided to say Jughead’s was a tattoo his father allowed him to symbolize his connection to the forest since concealing two would be more difficult.

With the pack in place, forming a circle in the field, Betty took a deep breath.

“It’s alright, Betty,” Alice reassured her. “I promise you this will be amazing.”

Without another thought, she shed her robe and strode into the moonlight, the bright beams shining down upon her. The moment her skin touched the light, her blood began to boil and her skin came alive, with a crackling sound and electric waves pulsing, Betty was no longer standing in the clearing, but rather a sleek, silver wolf with almost iridescent eyes, fur shining in the moonlight. The pack erupted in cheers of praise, one by one shifting as well to escort Betty on her first midnight run.

Standing in the center of them all, Betty finally felt alive. 

“And so it begins,” she told herself, before taking off swiftly into the dark night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens. There are some kisses. Lots of fae and soulmate lessons. Ya know, all the stuff.
> 
> Thanks to JandJSalmon, the most fabulous beta and human!

**Cooper Household**

**April 2016**

Betty was out in the yard, lounging in the old hammock tied between the two oak trees, exhausted after a night of soulmate lessons with the McCoy’s and a morning of fae lessons with her mother. Alice had her drawing water up from the ground using a water summoning incantation for over two hours, enough time to practice and water her entire batch of crops. Betty’s body fought off exhaustion, physically drained from the demand of it all. She stuck her arms behind her head, looking up at the sky through the gaps in the tree and replayed their last soulmate session.

She and Jughead had been working for three hours the previous night at regulating each other's heart rates during times of stress. Myles had said that with enhanced wolf senses, Betty’s ability to stabilize Jughead’s heart rate during times of stress would put him in a position of power with other pack leaders and would prove invaluable if he was in physical danger or about to act rashly.

They had been pushed hard since the holidays, almost to the brink of exhaustion, and Betty decided she’d had enough. 

“Again,” FP demanded the previous night, for the eleventh time.

“Dad,” Jughead sighed. “I’m exhausted.  _ Betty  _ is exhausted. We already had training with Sweet Pea this afternoon and he  _ does not _ go easy on anyone.”

“Again,” FP repeated more forcefully, his tone still calm with a stern and unrelenting gaze locked on his son.

“Dad,” Jughead began to protest again before he felt Betty’s fingers graze his arm.

“I’m alright, Jug,” she assured him, though her voice was laced with exhaustion. “Let’s just try it one more time, alright?”

Frowning, but taking her cue, he had nodded and sat back down, ready to be agitated once again. They had experimented with different modes of raising his heart rate from running, to fighting, and now they were working with anger.

“Ready?” FP asked him, locking eyes. As soon as Jughead nodded, he set back into it.

“You call yourself a future Alpha, boy?” FP spat close to his face, preying on what he knew were his son’s insecurities. “You don’t have it in you. You're  _ weak. Soft. _ You’re not built like Archie or athletic like Reggie. You’re not fit to run a pack.”

Betty took over from there.

“Reggie propositioned me today, Juggie. He pressed me back against a locker and said that my skirts have been quite a scandal lately and every good scandal needs someone to expose them.”

She could feel his heart rate rising more at that than from anything FP had said.

“He said he saw the heart-eyes I send your way and that a future Alpha wouldn’t want a mixed-mutt like me, but he could teach me a thing or two about being a wolf.”

Betty watched as Jughead’s hands clenched into fists. She was getting closer.

“He also said that no one would want any polluted watered-down pups that I had to offer so I might as well let him defile me now.”

That did it. The growl that emanated from his chest filled the room and Betty could feel his pounding heart rate, accelerated and angry. She allowed the link in their minds to open and began to breathe deeply, focusing solely on the beat of his heart, urging him to match it to her own. After a few moments of deep breathing, he had calmed and their pulses were beating as one.

“ _ Much _ better,” Sierra smiled at them from her wooden desk across the room. “I think we can stop for the night. You two need to practice this during pack training now, getting some real-time practice like you’ve been doing with your reactions to each other's pain. Once you have both under tight control we can move on from there.”

FP clapped Jughead on the back. “You know I didn’t mean any of what I said, right, Jug?” he pressed. “I’m so proud to be your dad and-”

“Don’t care,” Jug seethed, turning to Betty. “Did Reggie really say that shit or were you just trying extra hard to piss me off?”

FP grimaced a bit and gestured towards the door. The McCoy’s gave Betty a sympathetic look before following FP out into the hallway. Once they were gone, Betty addressed Jughead’s query.

“Half and half?” Betty replied tentatively. “The part about the skirt scandal was true, but the rest I made up to raise your heart rate. Reggie is a flirt, but a nice enough guy.”

“Yeah well, if he touches you again I’ll rearrange his  _ nice guy _ face,” Jughead mumbled, rubbing at the tension at the back of his neck.

“It’s not his fault, Jug,” Betty reasoned. “No one knows we’re… together, or whatever we are.”

“Excuse me?” he growled, highlighting his next words with air quotes _. “Whatever we are? _ We’re mates, Betty. Soulmates. I think that’s a pretty fucking specific definition of  _ whatever we are.” _

Betty rolled her eyes and sighed, exhausted from the day and not in the mood to deal with his insecurities at the moment.

“Jughead,” she sighed. “That’s not how I meant it. I just meant… it’s a secret. We hang out at the packhouse when no one is around and at my house when we can. It’s mostly disguised as studying. How would anyone know not to hit on me? And for that matter, do you have any idea of what I go through _every_ _single day_ in regards to you? What I have to hear the girls say?”

He began to interrupt, but Betty put a hand out and shook her head at him.

“I sit there and listen to Ethel and Josie talk about who you might date or even choose as a mate on the regular - and I have to tell you, it’s  _ never _ me. Veronica and Val talk about you like you’re a Viennese hour at a posh wedding and they want to sample all there is.  _ Everything  _ about this relationship is unconventional. So don’t act like you’re the only one who has to deal with feeling insecure or pissed off.”

Jughead’s hands, which had been perched on his hips, fell to the sides, his right one coming up to wipe across his mouth before falling again, his shoulders sagging in apology.

“You’re right,” he conceded. “This  _ is _ harder for you. I’m sorry.”

“Jughead, this isn’t about who has it worse,” Betty explained softly. “We just can’t let this stuff get to us because we have a long way to go.”

He smiled at her smugly, wrapping his arms around her over her shoulders and letting them droop down her back.

“See, this is exactly why you are my soulmate. You are so logical and intuitive and are going to be a formidable Lumina when the time comes.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Jones,” she teased, leaning into his chest as his arms dropped from around her neck to her waist. “Feeling better now?”

He began to stroke soft circles on her lower back. “You know I am. You can feel it after all.”

“How about giving me something good to feel then?” Betty challenged, tipping her chin up towards him. She was not disappointed.

Their lips met softly and light, just pecking really. When they first marked and he’d kissed her, the world exploded. She couldn’t imagine anything feeling better. They were shy about it for a long time, barely holding hands and brushing fingers, Jughead taking the lead and initiating sweet kisses goodbye each time they parted. They became more and more confident each time. Now, they explored some pretty heated make-outs, but there was nothing about FP’s office that screamed romance or privacy and it was something they were reminded of when the door handle began to jiggle.

“To be continued,” Jughead teased, stamping one more kiss quickly.

Betty sighed and dropped her arms from his neck. “Promises, promises.”

Just as Betty began to feel warm and content at the memory of their kisses from the night before, the back door swung open, the rusty hinges creaking shrilly, drawing Betty from her reflection.

“Betty?” Alice called from the back porch. “Get inside now. You need to get dressed.”

“Dressed?” Betty asked, annoyed. She was  _ finally _ relaxing and Alice was telling her that was over already. “Where am I going? I don’t have a single lesson or any training tonight. I just want to lay here using the ambition of a sloth and the muscle capacity of a sea sponge.”

“Sea sponges don’t have muscles, Elizabeth,” Alice sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Betty closed her eyes and lay back on the hammock again. “Precisely.”

It was quiet for a moment and she thought she’d won until Betty felt the hammock sway and tip, depositing her flat on her stomach in the grass. “Upstairs now. Clothes on. No mouthing off.”

Grumbling to herself, Betty stomped into the house and up to her room, making her discontentment clear by the pounding of her feet on the stairs. As she was about to toss on an old, battered sweatshirt, Alice barged into her room and began rummaging through her closet, tossing a green sundress with tiny white dandelions on it and her jean jacket onto the bed.

“Wear this,” she grinned perkily. “And how about a braid and some light makeup, ‘kay?”

With a groan and another roll of her eyes, Betty pulled off the sweatshirt and glared at her mother.

“Will you at least tell me what fresh hell you are dragging me off to tonight?”

Alice pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling contemplatively, her pointer tapping her chin, before grinning smugly back at Betty. “Hmmmm, nope. Be downstairs in twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes and a ton of grumbling later, Betty came down the stairs only to find her mother, FP, and Jughead in the living room, Jughead dressed in a button-down and new, neat-looking jeans.

“Jug?” Betty asked, confused. “What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

Jughead looked nervous. For an Alpha to be awkwardly standing and flushing like he was, something was definitely awry.

“Jug?” Betty called again.

In an uncoordinated blur, Jughead reached behind himself to the armchair and proceeded to thrust a bouquet of flowers out towards her, no explanation offered.

Eyeing him warily, but with an amused smile, Betty took the bouquet from him and sniffed them, feeling warm and content with this unusual reassurance of his affections. He had never brought her flowers before and she was unsure where this was all coming from.

“Thank you,” Betty said softly. “What’s the occasion?”

He shrugged, shifting his foot against the hardwood floors and stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

“Veronica’s birthday,” he said, glancing up at her quickly before glancing back down at the floor.

“Veronica’s bir-” Betty began before realization hit her. One year ago they had played capture the flag and her life had changed forever, a binding mark seared into her chest and by defunct, her heart.

“Juggie,” Betty cooed, pouting out her lower lip. “I can’t believe you thought of this. It’s been a year since we marked. I can’t believe I didn’t realize.”

“To be fair, Betty, I didn’t realize until last night when we got home and I was thinking about our conversation… about how we can’t date normally. And I wanted that for you. I wanted you to get flowers and go out and feel…” he trailed off, unable to complete the sentiment.

Betty’s heart was bursting and she wished they were alone so she could show him just how happy he made her. Alice and FP had respectfully retreated to the kitchen, but she could see them watching side-eyed, like the annoying parental voyeurs that they were.

“I love the flowers, Jug,” Betty said quickly. “And this is all so sweet. But how can we go out? Won’t someone see us?”

Jughead smiled now, obviously proud of his clever plan. “I thought of that, too. Your Mom and my Dad we’re heading to the witch’s night market in Montdale tonight to pick up some less than typical supplies. I asked him if we could tag along so I could take you to dinner there. It’s an hour away so no one should spot us.”

Betty opened her mouth to speak, but her body took over, catapulting her against his chest and wrapping him in a giant hug.

“I take it you’re happy about this plan?” he asked tentatively, still quite unsure of himself.

“Very,” she grinned, fixing the collar on his shirt.

“Okay kids, time to head out,” FP called as he and Alice re-emerged from the kitchen.

Jughead pulled back and went to take Betty’s hand before oddly gesturing towards the door instead. “We should… you wanna… the car…”

Betty giggled and shook her head, walking out front with Jughead at her heels as FP shook his head and suppressed a laugh of his own.

“Good thing he had a soulmate,” he joked. “Because that kid has  _ zero  _ Alpha game.”

After a barked out laugh and a playful slap from Alice, they headed out to the car, ready to chauffeur the young lovebirds on their first true date.

**Pack Training Grounds**

**May 2017**

It wasn’t a sparring day, much to the chagrin of Reggie and Archie. Sweet Pea had gathered them all along the tree line, sitting in the shade under the oaks.

“Listen up you twerp-mutts,” he growled out. “I’m tired and hungover. There was this wood witch I met in Greendale and…” 

He waved them off and muttered something along the lines of nevermind before clearing his throat and locking his hands on his hips. 

“Anyway, I told you runt-mongrels to study your healing herbs and plants,” Sweet Pea coughed out. “I’ve arranged a little scavenger hunt, to be completed in teams of two, that will have a reward for the winners that I guarantee will be worth your while.”

He handed out papers with fifteen common wolf injuries and ailments, explaining that in pairs they would find plants and herbs best for treatment and healing. The winners would get two days off from training and the losers had to clean and scrub the Serpent Lodge from steps to attic. The items needed to be collected and stored in containers so they could turn them over to Mrs. Klump for medicinal use.

“Time to pair up,” Sweet Pea called out, laughing as everyone scrambled to find a partner.

“Hey, B-Betty,” Trev said nervously as he approached her. “Do you want to… I mean would you like to…”

He stopped talking with the tap on his shoulder. He turned around slowly only to find Jughead standing over him.

“Boo,” he deadpanned, watching Betty shake her head, repressing a smile. “Sorry, Brown. Betty is the best at plants and herbs which means she is mine for the challenge. I think Doily still needs a partner, though and his path when he discloses his pack intentions is to work in tracking and hunting.”

Trev offered an awkward wave as he clambered backwards, shuffling away and over towards Dilton.

“You’re so bad,” Betty giggled, shoving at his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be partnering with someone else so we don’t seem too chummy?”

He shrugged and looked around. Everyone was finalizing pairs and eyeing up their competition.

“Everyone knows you are the best at this because your mom keeps the gardens. They won’t be surprised that we paired up.”

Betty bit her lip and nodded, pulling her hands behind her back and linking her fingers together. “Well in that case,” she jittered out bashfully. “I have a better idea than traipsing around in this heat searching for leaves.”

Jughead raised an eyebrow and grinned back at her in pleasant surprise. He wasn’t used to Betty being the one to break the rules. “And what did you have in mind?”

Betty turned and glanced over her shoulder, walking into the trees with an extra sway to her hips. When he began to follow, she set off into a jog, challenging him to follow and he didn’t disappoint. Before long they came to an old treehouse along the path where young pack members tended to frequent in their youth. It was mostly empty now that the younger wolves seemed to prefer video games to the woods.

They climbed the ladder and pushed the old wooden trap door open. The floor was covered with leaves and acorns from its long period of disuse. With a focused thought and sweep of her hands, Betty summoned a gust of wind and cleared the room.

“Tul- dún wingo a tarûn a na nin fin-nìn-tun. Helu nin wön. Pathr- nin desrêse.”

Jughead looked on in awe. “You’re getting seriously good at that. Also, it’s  _ really, ridiculously _ hot when you speak fae. What did you say?”

“Come west winds and tremble at my fingertips. Hear my words. Fill my desires.”

Jughead pulled her down into his lap and groaned. “I think fae may be my favorite version of dirty talk, Betts.”

“Kisnì nin cin fölo,” Betty breathed out, as he gripped at the loops of her jeans tighter.

“What does that one mean?”

Slipping a hand up into his hair she sighed, “Kiss me, you fool.”

Fool or not, he knew enough to give in to her demand.

They kissed for a long while, noses brushing back and forth and thumbs stroking at cheeks as they lazily explored each other's lips, enjoying the simplicity and normalcy of it all. Betty’s fingers ran up through his hair and his gray knit hat, too hot for the May sun, fell to the worn wooden floorboards. After what seemed like a short time, but an eternity of privacy in their world, they heard voices approaching.

“Okay, something to help with anaplasmosis symptoms,” Veronica read aloud.

“What is anaplasmosis again?” Ethel asked, though clearly disinterested.

“It’s like an infection… and stuff,” Archie chimed in.

“Out of my part of the woods, Andrews,” Veronica flirted. “Go look for your ‘infection stuff’ elsewhere.”

While their tones were clearly filled with flirtatious longing, neither of their companions picked up on those vibes.

“C’mon now, Ron,” Reggie dripped smugly. “You’re just distracted by our abs. You can’t even tear your eyes away from these puppies to look for a plant for anaplasis… anapostit… ana- whatever. Green stuff.”

“Wow, Reg,” Veronica said nodding. “I can see you studied hard last week. And while you may have abs, and those ‘puppies’ may be formed, I’m not into puppies. I’m more of a timber wolf girl.”

Ethel chuckled while Reggie’s face dropped, crestfallen, before he quickly regrouped.

“Oh, what, like Jones?” Reggie spat out sarcastically. “His puppies are probably the size of a chihuahua. That’s your thing?”

“Reg, leave Jug out of it,” Archie warned. “You don’t need to insult the future Alpha because Ronnie wounded your ego.”

“Nice,” Reggie nodded, holding a hand out at Archie. “Protect your boyfriend. God knows he needs it.”

Veronica was about to chime in, but Ethel beat her to it.

“Oh, I know!” she giggled. “He partnered with Cooper. She has the wolf capabilities of a poodle. As always, he probably just felt bad for her.”

“Ethel,” Veronica said shocked. “How can you say that? She's our friend.”

“Seriously,” Archie agreed. “Betty’s like the nicest person ever.”

“Nice doesn’t make you great pack material,” Ethel shrugged. “I mean, does she actually think she has a chance with Jughead? Please. She’s not even a natural wolf.”

From where they sat in the treehouse Jughead got to his feet. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when Reggie was talking about him, but Ethel talking about Betty made his blood boil. A sharp jerk on his sleeve had him sitting back down.

Betty’s gaze was hard and cold, her jaw tight and taut with anger. Her palms were clenched in fury and Jughead saw tiny red specks forming where they cut into her skin.

“Betts,” he began, recoiling at the look she gave him, before replacing it with a devious smirk.

“Let’s have some fun,” she said dangerously.

Just barely peeking out the window, Betty watched as they continued to bicker, now also searching the ground for the plants they needed.

“Im am cin, vinûs,” Betty spoke softly, her skin taking on a gentle glow as she spoke.

Jughead watched as Ethel bent down to look through the brush. Betty lifted her pointer finger and began to idly twirl it around a lock of her hair, eyes locked on Ethel.

As she reached down into the high grass, Ethel jerked her arm back only to find that it wouldn’t budge. Green vines from the ground had begun to fasten around her wrist, wrapping in tight spirals and working their way up her arm, pulling her towards the ground.

“Ahhh,” she screeched, pulling frantically at the vines. “I’m stuck. It’s- it’s pulling me down. Help get it off!”

The rest of her classmates ran over. Reggie began to pull on Ethel as Archie tore at the vines, trying to pry them from her arm, but they wouldn’t budge.

“Do something!” she cried as they continued to wrap and grow, slithering up to her forearm now.

Veronica pulled out a pocket knife and kneeled to cut the vines from their base, but Betty wouldn’t allow the plant to be hurt like that. She dropped her finger from her now curled hair and the vines slid down Ethel’s arm and back to the ground, the loss of their force sending Reggie flying backwards into the ground.

Giggling a bit to herself and wiggling each of her ten fingers, Betty said, “Im am cin, beëletes.”

From a tiny hole in the ground under where Reggie sat, a swarm of Beetles emerged from the ground, trodding their way up his arms and legs, covering his torso as she lay splayed on the ground.

“Off! Get them off!” he yelled as he frantically brushed the bugs off and scrambled to his feet. He began to run back towards the training grounds, Ethel following behind him. Back in the treehouse, Betty flicked a single finger upwards and a tree root lifted up from the ground, sending them both flying forward, airborne, only to hit the ground hard and scramble up, running once again.

Veronica and Archie watched in half horror and half amusement until their forms were no longer visible through the trees.

After a few moments of silence, Veronica shrugged. “So, new partner? she asked Archie.

“I wanted to be your partner anyway,” Archie said, a bit shy.

Veronica sized him up from head to toe. “I’ll allow it.”

Betty shuffled back towards the center of the treehouse, smiling at Jughead who was watching her with complete adoration and awe.

“That was… you were… God, I love you,” he stammered out, his eyes blowing wide at the realization of his declaration, Betty’s just shining with amusement.

“I didn’t mean…” he stammered again. “I mean, I did mean…I mean I think I... but that’s not how I wanted to…”

“Jughead,” she huffed out, shaking her head, scrunching her nose and tapping her palm against his cheek. “Tell me again another time when you aren’t in complete bewilderment of my fae skills. Then maybe I’ll allow it.”

Wiggling her fingers, she promptly filled each of their specimen jars, blooms appearing and growing where nothing was before.

“Let’s go win this thing,” Betty said innocently. “Shall we?”

Jughead watched her descend down the ladder confidently, leaving him to gather all the supplies.

His only thought as he packed up was that he really did love her. He was an Alpha but he was so far gone it was pathetic.

**Riverdale High School**

**June 2017**

There wasn’t much to do in or around Riverdale in the summer heat. School had ended and their days were spent down at the river and nights often revolved around milkshakes at Pop’s or parties in the woods. So when the news shared there would be a meteor shower visible from New York all of the pack kids were excited.

Their entire group of friends laid out on the darkened football field of Riverdale High, blankets stretched out and snacks visible in abundance. Chips, Twizzlers, gummy bears and pretzels were spread out among them as they sat around in groups, some gossiping and others playing cards, waiting for the show up in the night sky.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never seen Teen Wolf,” Toni gawked at Veronica, astonished.

“I  _ am  _ a teen wolf,” Ronnie snorted. “Why would I watch some unrealistic mainstream movie when I have enough legit wolf problems of my own?”

Betty bit off the top of a Twizzler she grabbed from the bag by her side and sat up from her prone position to chew. “Oh, I don’t know, V, Michael J. Fox is kind of cute in it. That’s enough of a reason to get me to watch it.”

Toni wrinkled up her nose and grimaced at Betty. “The dude is like sixty, Cooper. You have Gerontophilia?”

“Do I have what?” Betty asked, biting off more of the red candy.

“Gerontophilia. An attraction to old people,” Toni giggled, sitting up and grabbing the Twizzler bag herself.

“Ew, no Toni,” Betty gagged. “He wasn’t sixty in the film, but honestly, even at sixty he’s still pretty cute.”

“Who’s pretty cute?” Jughead asked as he and Archie appeared suddenly before the girls, Archie flopping down next to Veronica and making himself comfortable on her blanket.

“You, obviously,” Toni teased. “Just not to me. I’m immune to your lanky ass.”

“Ah, well, I can’t win them all,” Jughead shrugged, clicking his tongue in his cheek. “Hey, Betts, my dad just called. He said your phone must be off because your mom is trying to reach you. She needs you at home.”

Betty rolled her eyes and chucked the remainder of her chewed up Twizzler. “Ugh, she can’t even let me have  _ one  _ night out. She’s so frustrating. I’m not going.”

“It sounded important,” he pressed. “He asked me to drive you.”

Betty looked concerned for a moment before Jughead, making sure no one was watching, tossed a wink at her. 

“Okay,” she sighed dramatically, tossing the bag of Twizzlers to Toni. “Fine. Take me home. Who cares about some flaming space rocks anyway.”

Gathering up her blanket, she hugged her friends goodbye and headed off towards the parking lot with Jughead.

“Do you think those two are hooking up?” Veronica asked as they lay back down. “I mean, Jug looks at her like he looks at a Pop’s burger and she just lights up when he’s around.”

Toni turned towards Veronica and grinned. “You noticed that, too? I thought maybe I was seeing things.”

“I see it, too,” Archie chimed in, grabbing some snacks from the blankets.

“Oh please Arch, you didn’t even know Kevin was gay. You didn’t pick up on this,” Veronica laughed.

“I did!” he argued back. “Last year when we were all at a pack training, Sweets was going extra hard on Betty since she wasn’t as good as us at hand-to-hand combat. She looked like she was about to break down. After practice, Jug walked up to her and he put his palm to the side of her face. He took her back to the field and worked on her stance and her footwork for a while. I wasn’t being a creep, but I watched while I waited for my dad. He was meeting me for a run. When Betty got something right, he looked so proud. It just seemed… special. I don’t know.”

“Maybe he was just concerned about the pack’s well-being. Having a weak fighter is a risk to us all,” Toni reasoned. “Or maybe his blossoming Alpha genes just want to dominate her sunshine and bubblegum-like self.”

“He stares too much,” Veronica chimed in. “And not in a creepy ‘I want to keep you in my basement way, but like a soft’ I want to hold your hand’ way. I’m with Archie-kins. There have been signs.”

Toni wrinkled her brow. “So what, you think they’re off doing it right now?”

“Nah,” Archie said. “I don’t think it’s like that, Toni. It could be nothing. But I won’t say anything unless Jug does, out of respect.”

“Whatever,” she sighed. “I’m gonna find Cheryl and make out under the bleachers. Enjoy the space rocks, bitches.”

  
  


**Solomon’s Grotto**

They headed to his bike, Jughead a few steps ahead of her handing her the helmet he kept for when they rode together.

“So where are we really going?” Betty asked, shaking out her ponytail and putting on the helmet.

Jughead just grinned as he climbed on the bike and revved the engine. Betty didn’t press him, she trusted him after all, and climbed on the back, the engine roaring to life and heading down the gravel road and into the woods.

Jughead knew that as the future Alpha, he should always feel powerful and in control. He hoped as he drew closer to eighteen he’d feel more of those instincts kick in. As of now, he never felt more powerful than when he was on his bike. The purr of the engine and the speed through the wind brought him to life. He was only glad that Betty loved it as much as he did, her blonde hair flying in the air as it spilled from under the helmet’s edge.

They rode deep into the woods, past Sweetwater Creek and the pack training grounds until the path they were on narrowed in the woods, the bike still continuing in, deep into the cavity of trees until the trail all but completely disappeared and Jughead cut the engine.

“We have to run from here,” he said apologetically. “I found a spot off the beaten path where we should be okay to be alone. 

“Okay,” Betty said softly. Shifting in front of him with no one else around seemed quite intimate. 

Jughead took a small backpack off his bike and unzipped the top. “If you shift first, I’ll put your clothes in here and then mine. I’ll fasten it to you and then shift, that way we can take them with us.”

She let out a breath she had been holding and smiled in thanks. She wasn't sure she trusted herself and he apparently felt the same, thinking of every hiccup they may encounter.

Within moments they were both in wolf form and running through the trees, Betty following him deep into the woods. The narrow path became nonexistent at some point, the brush dense, plants growing wild and thick. Jughead’s run slowed to a trot about ten minutes in and then to a walk, Betty followed suit. He gestured up ahead and Betty was surprised to find an opening in the trees, the grass lush and soft and the sky clearly visible.

They shifted back, him first, unwinding the bag from around her and dressing. While Betty clothed, he began setting up the few things he had left in the clearing prior to driving to Riverdale High. Jughead unrolled the double sleeping bag he had brought and laid it out in the grass. From his bag he also took out a few candles and some matches and a thick, insulated thermos of some fruity sparkling drink that Betty seemed to like along with glasses.

By the time she dressed and returned, he was awkwardly lighting candles and moving them around, trying to find the best placements for them all.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you were setting the mood,” Betty teased, alerting him to her presence. “What is all of this?”

He jumped up, startled by her voice. It was bad form. As the future Alpha he should have sensed her approaching, but she evaded him like that often, sneaking up on him and under his defenses.

He blushed a bit and put the last candle back down before pouring them each a glass of pink liquid from the thermos. 

“It wasn’t fair that Toni and Cheryl and Midge and Moose, and everyone else really, could cuddle up under the stars and watch the show. You were so excited and I thought…”

Betty bit her lip and shook her head. “Jughead Jones, if you put half as much effort into being Alpha as you do at being my soulmate, we will be a very lucky pack.”

“I know you’ve given up a lot to be my mate, so I try. Now, get over here before we miss these fireballs you so desperately wanted to see. You  _ do  _ know they aren’t actually shooting stars, right? Like your wishes won’t come true just because you asked a flaming hunk of space. ”

Betty flopped down into the blanket, pulling him down with her. “Yes, but isn’t it fun to imagine that it could? That magically, things could be the way you always pictured.”

Jughead handed her a glass, holding his own up and tipping it towards hers in cheers motion. They watched the sky silently for a while, sipping their drinks and waiting for something to happen.

“Riveting stuff,” Jughead grinned, laughing as Betty rolled her eyes at him, before pointing out a flash of light up in the sky.

Betty closed her eyes and leaned back on her hands, smiling up at the stars as Jughead put down his glass and lay back on the blanket. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making my wish,” Betty said wistfully. “I wished that things were different for Polly… that somehow she could be one of us and happy with Jason the way I am with you.”

She sniffled a bit and turned away from him, downing the rest of her glass before she felt him tugging her down to lay with him.

“Betty, what happened to Polly isn’t your fault. It’s not your fault that you shifted and she didn’t.”

“I know,” she replied quickly, her voice low and cracking. “I know. But imagine everyone around you shares this… secret. A special bond. One you waited your whole life for. Then suddenly that reality is gone and you realize so is the entire future you planned. That’s- that’s what happened to Polly.”

He didn’t say anything, but he pulled her in tighter, closer to his chest. He knew she was right and nothing he had to say would fix that.

“There’s another one,” Betty sniffled out, changing the topic. “Your turn to make a wish.”

It would normally be here where he would diffuse things with sardonic humor or a witty quip, Betty laughing and the moment ending. Tonight felt different, heavy with importance and he didn’t want to let the feeling pass. She shared something with him that night that was true. It was his turn.

“I wished…” he began, tracing his fingers up her arm. “I wished that I knew why my mom left me. I know, logically, that she and my dad had problems. But what was so big and painful that she was willing to leave the pack, and me. Why didn’t she try and take me, or at least stay in contact? My dad refuses to speak of it.”

Betty took a page from his cue from earlier and didn’t say anything, but snuggled deeper into his shoulder for a while. Why seemed like ages after, he heard her, no more than a whisper. “It’s her loss that she won’t know you and that is sad. Because you are so many things, Jug. You’re brave and loyal, kind yet fierce at protecting your own… you’re amazing and I feel bad she won’t ever know that.”

Words bubbled up from in his chest, words not often spoken by werewolves who dealt mainly with lust, and spilled out into the quiet night with depth.

“I love you,” he simpered, almost shy, his confident Alpha bravado stored away for the moment. 

She stared back at him, a gentle smile playing across her lips as she searched his gaze.

“I love you,” he repeated again, more softly this time. “Sometimes it’s all I can feel. I lose my breath and you refill it.”

“Thank you,” Betty said breathily. “For this. For tonight. For just being you.”

She could feel his pulse racing through him as they lay there. She smiled inwardly at how someone with so much Alpha blood could be reduced to pure adrenaline and anxiety by three little words. She let him stew a few moments more.

“Jug?” she finally said, rolling on her side to face him as he did the same. “I love you too.”

A wide grin spread across his face and hers began to mirror it. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.’ she nodded, smiling wider.

He began to eye her suspiciously. “Wait, did you just make me wait on purpose?”

Betty bit her lip and shrugged playfully. “You’re cute when you’re all nervous. It’s not often I get to dominate the Alpha.”

His eyes narrowed, but she could see the mirth behind them. “You little…”

He never finished as his fingers attacked her ribs, not bothering to stop despite her pleas as she laughed and struggled to get away.

The tickles turned to kisses and the laughs turned to sighs as the skies moved overhead. They were in love and that’s all that mattered for now.

**Sweetwater Creek**

**September 2018**

School began again and the chaos of their turbulent schedules set in. Between classes, extra-curriculars, their sessions with the McCoys, Alice’s fae lessons, and pack training, they had barely had a moment alone since the start of the month.

As summer faded, the earth clung to its warmth, leaving them a few unencumbered hours at the swimming hole before the crisp chill of fall arrived. Jughead had purposely arranged extra exercises for the pack, excusing himself and Betty to steal a few moments alone together.

They swam and splashed, lounging around on rafts all afternoon. Betty had the advantage in their play, using her fae connection to nature to raise up three and four foot waves of water to pummel him each time he splashed her.

Now dry, Betty lay on their blanket, Jughead on his side, head perched in his hand looking down at her.

“Have I told you lately how much I enjoy you in a bikini?” he teased, fingers walking across her stomach to investigate each new freckle the sun had kissed into life this summer.

“You didn’t say it out loud, but I do recall a few expletives you sent my way silently when I wore that yellow suit a few weeks ago.”

“I wish time would slow down. Summer and… just time,” he sighed, his hands stilling and his eyes drifting from her stomach up to her own.

“Are you thinking about your birthday next week?” Betty asked, pushing his unruly locks of hair behind his ear. “About turning eighteen?”

“Mmmm,” he grunted, rolling to his back and flopping down, laying his arms back, one under his head and one over his eyes. 

They fell silent for a while, staring up at the sun and the clouds, both content in quiet reflection, until he tilted his head towards her again, feeling her stare burning into him more so than the sun. “Was I thinking too hard?” 

Betty just shrugged and reached her hand out to play along his forearm.

“I just wish that for me turning eighteen wasn’t such a huge deal. Everyone is excited for pack tattoos and graduation. They are making out under the bleachers and holding hands at Pop’s. You and I have to sneak around like escaped criminals just  _ because  _ we’re soulmates and I’m the next Alpha. It’s horse shit and it will get worse once I turn eighteen next week and don’t immediately choose a mate.”

It was Betty's turn to roll on her side and explore his stomach now, tracing the slight definition of his muscle, skin sticky and sweaty from the heat.

“What would we do if we didn’t have to stick around here and rule the pack _?”  _ she asked softly. “What would our life be?”

Jughead pursed his lips in a half-grin, amused at her uncanny ability to try, and succeed, at turning his mood when he was melancholy.

“Well, for starters, we wouldn’t have had to wait until after a public ceremony where I  _ bite  _ you to get it on, so wherever we were, we’d be doing that. A  _ lot  _ of that,” he teased, trying to lighten his mood as well and fake flinching at the slap she left across his chest, noting the way her eyes sparkled as she laughed at him, her lip tucked between her teeth.

“Ouch, woman!” he laughed, pulling the arm out from behind him to pull her down to his chest. “Really though, if we didn’t have this… unusual situation, I think I could see us heading off to a big city for school come the fall. We’d rent a shitty apartment and our air-conditioning window unit would break at least once a week and I’d curse and kick it until you’d show up with a popsicle and lopsided grin and we’d laugh about how awful our apartment is.”

He paused for a moment, smiling to himself at the thought as if he had imagined the scenario a thousand times. 

“There wouldn’t be enough hot water and we’d argue constantly about the other taking too long in the shower. I’d defuse each fight by suggesting we share the hot water by showering together and you’d call me a pig before we laughed, forgetting our fight and ordering more takeout.”

Betty chuckled at his vivid view of domesticity.

“On weekends, you’d want to go out for coffee and pastries to a God-awful popular cafe nearby and I’d want to go to the diner down the block with ripped booths and sticky vinyl seats, years worth of unremovable syrup residue. I’d complain that we could barely afford the oddly labelled, off-brand Prego tomato sauce and Barilla pasta from the shady market down the block, but then I’d give in because I like how you smile when you get that over-priced latte where the foam looks like a heart.”

“Jug,” Betty whispered reverently, sliding a palm up his jaw to tilt his head towards her. 

“I know,” he chortled in a half-grimace, half-grin. “It all sounds terrible and I’m crazy for even thinking about it, but I do all the time. I imagine it just being the two of us.”

“Is that so crazy?” Betty asked innocently. “We’re alone now.”

Jughead snorted. “Yeah, but I had to orchestrate this. We never get time otherwise.”

Betty could feel his agitation and frustration settling in. She wanted to keep his hopeful, content feelings that had been flowing freely before.

“Well, then I suppose we should make the most of our time while we can,” she simpered, sliding her body up and over his, her lips hovering over his own.

Their kisses were soft and languid, less heated than normal. Both poured their intentions and affection into these, speaking without words. The sweetness lasted only a few moments before Jughead’s hands found their way to her bikini top and her bikini top found its way to the rocks along the shore, the sun not the only thing heating up the dock that afternoon.

**Pack Training Grounds**

**October 2018**

It was a fight day. These were Betty’s weakest training days. While she excelled in many of the other areas, the other wolves in the pack had been fighting since they began to shift at seven and eight-years-old. She had only started her training when she finally turned at thirteen and learned to control her shifting voluntarily at fourteen. Now at seventeen she still had a bit of catching up to do.

Betty had a natural knack for tracking, herbs, and knife-throwing in human form, no doubt coming from her mother’s heritage. Being a half-breed gave her certain advantages that the pack was delighted to have. For one, she could yield silver. While the blade still burned her skin, it didn’t mean almost certain death like it would for the others. This was an advantage in battle and she was taught to throw knives and had been outfitted with silver blades as one of her first trained skills. Of course, only a select few knew this.

“Cooper,” Sweet Pea called. “You’re up.”

She looked around at her friends who offered her encouraging smiles. She knew she probably wouldn’t win, but she just needed to hold her own long enough to show she was a formidable opponent. The kicker was that if she could show her fae magic that Alice had been teaching her, she’d be able to defeat each and every one of them instantly, but it was still too dangerous to let anyone else know. She was told only to use it in case of an actual life or death emergency.

Stepping into the stone circle, she glanced shyly around at her friends. She hated shifting publicly still after all this time. Alice had taught her how to glamour her soulmark without a spell in one of their lessons to keep it hidden, so she no longer had to shift or dress in the trees. Truth be told she missed those days.

Veronica had bought her a robe to match the ones she’s bought herself, Josie, and Cheryl. It was much less cumbersome to quickly drop a robe and shift than to stand there trying to get your legs out of your pants in the middle of a crowd. Letting the black cotton fall, she was in her wolf form in seconds.

Sweet Pea, a few years older and a pack trainer, began to pace around the perimeter of the circle, carefully crossing paw over paw as he stepped.

Betty liked Sweet Pea, respected him even. He knew her areas of weakness and exploited them, not to make her look weak or incompetent, but to make her better and more aware of herself. He didn’t go easy on her and she felt stronger because of it. When he wasn’t kicking her ass in training, he was genuinely a nice guy, too. He and his best friend, Fangs, did a lot of jobs for FP and had become close friends with Jughead through the years. She never minded when they were at parties or pack events since they seemed pretty down-to-earth.

Gazing at him now, she had to remind herself not to look at him as a friend, but as an assassin, an insect she needed to crush as quickly and severely as she could. In the quick pulse of a heartbeat, Sweet Pea lunged towards her, his claws aiming for her side and his jaws for her front paw. Betty had been prepared for that. He often began there with her and she had raised up on her hind legs, her paw slipping through his jaws, before coming back down forcefully and knocking him to the side with a quick blow to the head.

“Oohhhhh,” flowed from the lips of the others watching as Sweet Pea circled her once more with a grin on his curled up snout. Seconds later he was at full height, slamming towards her. Betty met him blow for blow. Though shorter and thinner, she held him back, his claws digging into her skin and jaws leaving small, bloodied bites along the way as well.

Jughead winced with each new gash as he felt pain erupt under his skin as well.

Betty jutted forward and head-butted Sweet Pea in the chest. She noticed he rarely protected his mid-section during their sparring, the hit sending him flying, almost out of the circle to the dismay of herself and everyone else around them. With a sneer and a snarl, he was upright quickly, charging at her full speed and using his weight to blow her backwards into the cascade of rocks behind them, rock flying every which way as he pinned his lips to her throat, claiming the win.

He shifted back immediately, as did Betty, taking the hand he extended to help herself up and grabbing the robe Veronica tossed back to her to cover up.

“Hell of a fight today, Cooper,” Sweet Pea winked. “Maybe, just maybe, you won’t die if we ever do have a pack war.”

“I was taught well,” Betty smiled, knowing his teasing was actually a form of praise.

“Okay crew, that’s all for today,” Fangs called. “We have tracking after school tomorrow and then the rest of you who didn’t spar today will go then. Get some rest.”

Most of their peers shifted and took off into the trees, eager for dinner. A few remained walking and chatting, taking the longer route home.

“Yo, Jug. You wanna come to Pop’s with us?” Archie asked, pointing to Kevin, Fangs, and Reggie in the distance.

“I can’t,” he shrugged regretfully. “Gotta meet my dad. Maybe I can drop by later if you guys are still hanging out. I wouldn’t mind a burger.”

Archie clapped him on the shoulder and ran to catch up to the others as Jughead stripped down and shifted, trotting off towards Betty.

She leaned up against a tree, clothing in hand about to redress when she saw him approaching and smiled.

“Aww, aren’t you adorable,” she cooed teasingly as he nuzzled into her side, nudging at her leg with his nose.

Gently, he began to lap at the gash on her leg, his licks helping the wound heal faster before finding and cleaning the other cuts on her skin.

“Thanks, Jug,” she smiled, feeling better already. 

He trotted into the trees for a moment while she got dressed and re-emerged as himself, half-dressed, moments after.

“You were damn impressive today, Betts,” he grinned, pulling back the neck of her t-shirt just slightly to trace over their mark. “If only they all knew you could kick my ass when you needed to they’d be petrified.”

Betty wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly, just a peck, before pulling back.

“And don’t you forget it,” she smiled, poking him in the chest.

“Come to the lodge?” he grinned, lopsided. “There’s ribs with mashed potatoes and corn for dinner tonight.”

“You really know your way to a girl’s heart, Jug,” she teased.

“Was it the ribs?” he asked, lacing their fingers together.

“Mashed potatoes, Juggie,” she said, pulling him along. “It’s all about the taters.”

  
  
  


**Cooper Household**

**November 2018**

Though the air was cool, Betty stood in the garden barefoot, digging her toes into the soil. Alice stood back about fifty feet, shoeless as well, hands on her hips as she provided her daughter with directions.

“Feel the vibrations in the earth, Betty,” Alice said softly. “Feel it under your feet, moving up your legs, into your chest. Breath with it. Ask the earth to allow you to be a part of it.”

Betty breathed in deeply and slowly, focusing on the sensations and energies below her until she could feel a steady pulse beating alongside her own.

“Good,” Alice said softly. “Now, picture what it is you want to grow. What are you offering the earth and what are your intentions for it? If your intentions are pure, when you speak the earth will oblige you.”

Kneeling down, Betty smoothed her fingers through the soil gently. She felt a tug back as the earth searched her for her intentions in return. Calmly, she spoke.

“Naneth coe, im offer cin hin seeds a ask an cín iavas blessing. Dab- hain na bloom na feed nin núr a im, in turn, will honor cin,” Betty said, using the language her mother had been tutoring her in for years now. It seemed to come naturally to her and Alice had shared that it was an inherent part of her being, though only activated when she came of age. Her words translating to a request for blooms. “Mother Earth, I offer you these seeds and ask for your fruitful blessing. Allow them to bloom to feed my people and I, in turn, will honor you.”

Bett dropped the seeds of the apple tree down into the ground and stood again, holding out her palms and closing her fists. As her fists cinched closed, the dirt on the ground began covering the seeds.

“Beautiful, Betty,” Alice praised. “Now nurture it. Water.”

Betty closed her eyes and pulled her elbows in towards her chest, imagining the feel of cool water cascading down her arms, elbows, fingertips. From the ground, droplets of water appeared, walking their way up her bare feet and legs, over her waist and down her arms. Betty pressed her arms outward again and tiny water granules rained down from her fingertips into the dirt, soaking the ground where she had planted her seeds.

“Yes,” Alice sighed. “You’ve got it. Now for the hard part, but I know you can do this. Coax life from the seed. Bring it to fruition. A fully grown tree is much harder than a small, single bud.”

Betty took a few calming, clearing breaths and poised her hands over the ground, lifting them ever so slowly, a trunk, limbs, and leaves began to emerge from the ground. The roots took hold and grazed by her feet in a passing hello as the tree came to life, green apples blooming almost at once.”

She opened her eyes to a happy squeal from behind her as Alice wrapped an arm around Betty’s neck in a hug.

“You’ve got it!” Alice beamed. “After weeks of trying you raised the tree! I’m so proud of you! Next time it will come even more quickly to you.”

Betty spun on the spot to hug her mother. “This is so much more fun than the fae combat training,” Betty teased. “I can’t wait to raise whole gardens like you.”

With a grin and a bite of her lip, Alice whispered a few requests and an entire row of hydrangeas opened their blooms for her, their fluffy white bouquets now decorating the yard.

“Show off,” Betty giggled into her mother’s arm, Alice tugging her along and back into their house for some iced tea.

**Riverdale High**

**December 2018**

Jughead sat on the bleachers reading as the other guys sweat up and down the court. Reggie, Chuck, and Archie were asserting their dominance, tossing a sphere of rubber and leather around, their sneakers squeaking on the polished wooden floor.

Jughead was pretty sure that his friend's shirtless gameplay had less to do with an actual desire to play basketball that day, and more of a desire to watch the girls at Vixen’s practice which had been relegated indoors due to the rain.

“Jones!” Reggie called out. “Want to make it a little two-on-two? Maybe if you show off your athleticism you’ll actually impress a lady for a change.”

Jughead closed his book and sighed. “I don’t know, Reg. You’ve seen me fight and you’ve never acted impressed.”

Archie and Chuck smirked with wide eyes, calling out Reggie on Jughead’s burn and slapping him on the back. Reggie was fuming. It was lucky that there weren’t any general Riverdale High students in the gym, the only mortal Vixen out sick that day, as Reggie pressed the basketball between his hands, crushing it in his fit of rage.

“Are you calling me a lady because I’m a ladies man?” he badgered, striding forward towards the bleachers where he sat. “Because from my point of view, you're  _ supposed  _ to be our future Alpha and you can’t even dominate a woman, let alone lead a whole pack. I mean, what kind of future Alpha doesn’t even have a side piece once in a while. You’re eighteen already. Why haven’t you mated?”

Jughead tossed his book aside and stood quickly, placing himself face to face with Reggie who unconsciously recoiled a bit at his scent.

“You don’t know shit about me, Reggie,” Jughead spat. “And if I did have a ‘side piece’ as you call it, I sure as shit wouldn’t tell you about it, because part of my job is keeping my mouth shut and keeping the peace around here. I clean up your messes.”

The silence in the gym left the electric hum of the overhead lights buzzing loudly. The two were suddenly both very aware that everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now watching this play out.

“Let me make this clear for you, Reg, and anyone else in here who has been wondering. When I take a mate, there will only be one. That is the way it is supposed to be. They will be mine and then and only then, will I claim what I want. Make no mistake, that what I want will be mine. Do you understand?”

Reggie swallowed and nodded mutely, backing up from the bleachers just a bit.

With a final snarl, Jughead grabbed his book from the bleachers and stalked off out of the gym, everyone quietly stunned, except Betty who tried to smother her smirk at his departure.

Archie found him in the student lounge, laying back on a couch staring up at the speckled ceiling above them.

“Hey,” he said to alert him of his presence. “You good, man?”

Jughead lifted his upper body from where he lay to glance over at Archie. “Peachy.”

“Don’t let Reggie get under your skin,” Archie reasoned. “He doesn’t understand your responsibility or any of what your dad has you do to prepare for your future… our future, really.”

Jughead considered Archie’s words silently before sitting himself up to glance at his friend. Archie was the closest thing to a brother he had in this pack. When the time came he’d be his beta, his right-hand man. But even Archie didn’t know the strain he and Betty were under.

“I appreciate that, Arch. Things have been a little stressful lately and I let Reggie’s antics under my skin, I guess.”

Archie nodded and turned to leave before pausing in the doorway, hand lingering on the door frame. “You know, Jug. If you asked, she would say yes.”

“Who?” Jughead asked curiously, unsure of where Archie was going with his suggestion.

“Betty,” he shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I’ve seen how you look at her. She watches you, too.”

Archie began to leave again before Jughead stopped him.

“Hey, Arch?” he asked tentatively. “Anyone you want to be with?”

With a shy smile, Archie took a step back into the room, his face lighting up as he spoke. 

“Yeah, Ronnie. She’s- she’s something else, Jug.”

Jughead grinned and adjusted his beanie, standing up from where he sat. 

“So, why haven’t you gone after her? I doubt any woman could resist your charms if you wrote them one of those terrible love songs of yours.”

Archie shuffled a bit uncomfortably before he answered.

“Well, because of you. I figured as a future Alpha you should get first pick of the available mates in the pack. When you didn’t do the winter mating ceremony I figured you were either not drawn to anyone yet or waiting for one of the girls to turn eighteen.”

Jughead studied his friend for a moment, considering how deep his loyalty ran as Archie turned to leave again.

“Arch!” Jughead called out once more. “If you feel a pull and connection towards her, you should ask her out. Veronica. She’d be lucky to have you.”

Archie smiled but didn’t speak again, heading out the door and back down to the gym.

**Cooper Household**

**February 2019**

Betty dismounted from Jughead’s motorcycle as they reached her driveway. He had taken them on a night ride, just to get away from all the stress and training they’d been subjected to recently. Betty always felt better after flying past the gorges or flying through the tree-lined roads on his bike. 

Ripping off the helmet, she shook out her hair and looked around at her dark house, grinning and pulling him into the yard and over to the homemade swing attached to their giant oak tree. The lights in their house were all off and she assumed everyone was sound asleep.

Jughead sat on the wooden seat of the swing and Betty climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. It was cold, chilling her to the bone, but she couldn’t be bothered to care when his lips were on hers. His arms had wrapped around the ropes of the swing and gripped her hips tightly, holding her in place so she didn’t fall back as he nipped at her neck, soothing each bite after.

“I can’t wait to put my mark on you,” he growled into her skin.

“You already did,” she teased, referring to their soulmark. 

“Yes, but I want people to be able to see it. I want them to know that you, without a doubt, are mine.”

“You have to stop saying things like that if you want me to have any self-control, Jug,” Betty sighed, leaning back on the swing.

A flicker of light in her upstairs window caught his eye.

“Someone is awake,” Jughead sighed, frowning a bit at the implication.

“I should go,” she said apologetically, gripping his chin to stamp one more kiss on his mouth before climbing off the swing. “See you tomorrow.”

She turned and headed towards the house as Jughead retreated through the shadows of the garden and back out to his bike carefully.

Betty slid open their back door slowly, cautious not to let the hinges creak. She closed it just as delicately before tip-toeing up the stairs towards her room. She had made it. Sighing in relief, Betty flicked on her bedroom light, jumping and letting out a slight shriek at the sight of someone sitting on her bed.

“P-Polly!” she screamed. “You scared me! What are you doing sitting here in the dark?”

“Are you sleeping with Jughead?” Polly snapped, cutting right through the niceties.

“What?” Betty called out, taken off-guard. “I… no. No, I’m not.” She felt bad, but  _ technically _ she wasn’t lying.

“You’re just like the rest of them now!” Polly spat back, her jaw tight and eyes narrowed. “A liar. He’s just using you, Betty. You’re a half-breed wolf. You’re not special.”

Betty raised her eyebrows and curled up her lower lip. She was quite taken aback by Polly’s anger towards her.

“It was just a kiss, Polly,” Betty tried to convince her. “It’s nothing really. I just want to experience  _ something  _ before I turn eighteen and everyone gets mated off.”

“You lie. I can see it on your face little sister. You’ve been sneaking around, with him I assume, and smiling all the time. And you and mom… you’re always whispering and leaving me out! Does she know? Is that what you whisper about?”

Betty huffed out a chuckle and began to change into her pajamas. She was already tired of Polly’s inquisition. A flash of black caught Polly’s eye as Betty changed into her flannel top and Her nostrils flared in anger.

“Why do you get to kiss who you want and I can’t have Jason!?” she cried at her. “You’re not special! You’re no better than me!”

At that moment the bedroom door flew open and a tired infuriated Alice stood in her robe.

“What exactly is going on here?” she asked. “One of you better be bleeding or in mortal danger for me to be awake and mediating an argument between my two, grown daughters at this hour.”

“Everything is fi-” Betty began.

“Betty is sneaking around with Jughead!” Polly cried. “I saw them kissing in the yard!”

“Polly!” Betty yelled. “Have you  _ no  _ loyalty to your own damned sister! Should I spill all of your secrets right here right now? Because some of them are pretty damned juicy.”

“Enough!” Alice yelled, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Polly, go to your room.”

“You can’t order me around, mom.” she laughed. “I’m not a child.”

“You’re my child in my house, and you’re acting juvenile, so I can very well tell you to go to your room. Now!”

Polly wrenched herself off the bed and stomped out of Betty’s room, turning back before she slammed the door to yell. “I hate you.  _ Both  _ of you.”

Alice let out a breath and dropped her shoulders, folding her arms across her chest as Betty sank down into her desk chair.

“I’m sorry, mom. We got careless. I thought everyone was sleeping.”

“I’m not mad about the kissing, Betty,” Alice sighed. “I know how hard this is for you and Jughead. It’s a wonder you haven’t slipped up before tonight. I’m worried about your temper with Polly.”

“My temper? She literally started this. She told me I’m not special and-”

“Betty,” Alice warned. “You don’t have complete control of your magic when you’re angry. What if you hurt Polly?”

Betty looked up at Alice and then down at her finger in her lap, picking at her cuticles and sagging her shoulders. “You’re right, mom. You’re right. She just struck a nerve, you know? She said I wasn’t good enough for Jug. I’m not.”

Alice lifted one side of her mouth and sat on the edge of Betty’s desk, wrapping an arm around her. “That boy loves you, Betty. Unconditionally. Don’t you forget that. As for Polly, she will come around. Her heart is still healing.”

A creek of the hallway floorboards halted their chat.

Alice pecked a kiss on the top of her head before crossing her room and flicked on the bright, overhead light, leaving Betty with just the lamp.

“Get some sleep, okay?”

Betty nodded and tried to smile as Alice left the room.

“Mom?” Betty called just before the door closed, Alice popping her head back in.

“I love you,” Betty smiled. “Thank you.”

“Love you, too. Now get some rest. We have training in the morning.”

**Lost Woods**

The bitter cold and unforgiving wind chapped her skin as she made her way through the trees. With the branches bare and the forest floor frozen, the woods seemed more sinister and dangerous than their lush appearance in the springtime and summer when she first ventured out there.

If someone had told her a few years ago that this would be her life, she would have laughed at them. Her life was going to be perfect. Now she spent her time skulking in the shadows, negotiating a way to get the life she deserved and to hurt those who had forsaken her.

Shifting from foot to foot. She pulled her coat tighter around herself, readjusting her hat and wrapping her scarf even more snugly. Finally, she heard them approaching.

“Took you long enough,” she whined. “It’s freezing out here and I don’t have a permanent fur coat.”

“Don’t whine,” he said as he left his wolf form and shifted into a man, his entitled tone and dusty blonde hair replacing his howl and shaggy coat. “I’m way more exposed to the elements than you and I’m not complaining. What did you bring us?”

“No small talk?” she said flippantly. “How have you been? Things good at home?”

The sandy-haired wolf rolled his eyes and clicked his lips together, shifting on his heels impatiently.

“How about you tell me what information you have and I still consider our deal and  _ don’t  _ rip your throat out. Does that sound good?”

She flicked her blonde hair behind her shoulders, straightening to her full height to show she wasn’t intimidated.

“You  _ need  _ me,” she spat back. “I’m the best shot you have at taking over the Serpent Pack once Jughead becomes Alpha. None of you are a match for FP and you know it.”

The man remained silent for a moment, before sighing with an eye roll.

“Fine. I will  _ try _ not to offend your delicate sensibilities, but don’t forget  _ you  _ also need me - or are you no longer interested in our part of the bargain?”

She crossed her arms over her chest again and leaned back. “My terms are still the same. I get a place in your pack and the mate of my choice.”

With a nod, the man shifted back and forth, the icy air chilling him to the bone now.“I still agree to those terms. Now, tell me what have you discovered? Hopefully more than last time.”

She smirked back at him, confidently. “My mother had been acting strangely, she and my sister whispering late at night and looking over their shoulders to make sure I wasn’t around. Typical really, as if they’d even notice me. Tonight I heard them talking about a bond of some sort and how strong my sister’s magic was. I don’t quite know what they meant by this, but they stopped talking soon after.”

“Magic?” he repeated. “What does that even mean? There is no form of were-magic that I’m familiar with.”

She shrugged and toed at a patch of ice on the ground. “I’m not sure and haven’t been able to learn more about it that since, but I’ll keep trying. There’s more though,” she grinned devilishly. “Something they don’t want anyone to know. My sister and Jughead have been sneaking around a lot lately. I may not be a wolf, but I can still track the old fashioned way. I followed her month and found her secret lover’s point, but when someone was approaching I had to take off before they smelled me, so I didn’t know who it was. Tonight I saw them, my sister and Jughead, kissing in my yard. There’s something else, too. In her haste and argument with me, she got careless changing and I saw it- a black mark right over her heart.”

The man stared back at her, eyes squinting before a slow, wide grin spread across his face. “Are you telling me Jones is soulmated to your sister?”

“Yes,” she grinned maniacally. “I couldn’t believe it either. She doesn’t deserve to be a Lumina. She doesn’t deserve to even be a wolf. Is this information good?”

The man stretched out, preparing to shift back. “This information is  _ very _ good.  _ Very _ very good. Find out what you can about the magic your mother mentioned. It may be nothing, but we need to know. Do that, and you can join the pack. I’ll turn you right away and we’ll take in your lover-boy, Jason.”

She nodded, rocking back-and-forth in excitement.

“And Polly?” he tossed over his shoulder before returning to his wolf form. “Make sure you keep up your part of the bargain. We are generous, but not forgiving in Pack Stonewall.”

“Understood, Brett,” she grimaced, turning and heading back home.

**Serpent Lodge**

**March 2019**

Betty and Jughead had been training with Myles and Sierra since they turned fifteen and over the years their connection had only strengthened. FP and Alice had arranged their monthly sessions in between pack training and Betty’s fae lessons. Jughead enjoyed these sessions only slightly more than the fae lessons which often resulted in him being a test dummy for Betty’s powers with him getting blown across the room or flowers blooming from his ears. There was a particularly terrible incident once that left him burping bubbles for days. Hilda and Zelda had a field day laughing at that. Thank goodness Sabrina was staying at school and was rarely home or she’d have never let him live it down.

To better understand their predicament, and to make sure Myles and Sierra steered them in the right direction, their parents had insisted on being present when they tested their bonds. One, or both, were always there, which annoyed Jughead to no end. As a result, the pair had recently begun practicing more in secret, trying to discover the depths to which their connection ran.

The whole first year was spent with simple things. They worked on calming each other's heart rates, first while touching, then apart, followed by at a distance. Another side effect of their bond was feeling each other's pain. This would benefit them, knowing when the other was in distress, but Betty couldn’t be wincing or yelling while he fought at a pack training.

Now, after nearly three years of their lessons, they began working on their mental sync. As soulmates, they had the ability to communicate telepathically when they wished. As an Alpha and Lumina, this power would come in immensely handy one day. They sat on a bench, straddling the wooden seat, their knees touching and hands linked.

“This won’t be as easy as the other things you’ve practiced,” Sierra warned them. “The connection gets more… solid once you’ve marked and mated,” she paused at Alice’s clearing of her throat. “Which I know won’t happen until you are both eighteen. Until then, you will need to work harder at it.”

_ “Do you think we should tell them?” _ Betty asked, her thoughts invading his mind.

_ “Not even remotely,”  _ he said back.  _ “We can sit here for two hours and pretend to practice while we just chat. If we tell them, who knows what they will make us do next.” _

_ “You aren’t curious to know what else we can do as soulmates?”  _ Betty teased back.

_ “I’m interested in what you’re wearing under that sweater…”  _ Jughead thought with a smirk.

Betty flushed red and wished she could smack him at that moment without alerting their parents to their ability to already communicate silently.

_ “Jughead, I swear sometimes you have a one-track mind.” _

_ “What do you expect?”  _ he thought.  _ “I’m eighteen and you’re perfect. We haven’t been allowed to explore nearly enough since we marked. I’m a curious boy. What if I said your future Alpha demanded an answer?” _

_ “I’d say your future Lumina isn’t afraid of your role as Alpha and I’ll only obey your demands when it suits my fancy. Besides, you’ve already seen what’s underneath.” _

“Earth to Jughead,” FP called, drawing them from their conversation. “Are you daydreaming, boy? Because these lessons are important and you need to take them seriously.”

Jughead feigned feeling awful and nodded at his father. “Sorry, Dad. I’ll try harder to focus.”

From the corner of the room came a snicker from Myles and a smirk from Sierra.

_ “Busted,”  _ Betty groaned to him.

“How long?” Sierra asked. “And how did you figure it out on your own?”

“About six months? Pre-calc class is super boring,” Jughead shrugged apologetically.

In truth, they assumed Betty’s fae ancestry helped to speed up some aspects of their relationship, but the McCoys weren’t privy to that information. They were sitting in Mr. Meyer’s class when suddenly she had heard Jughead’s voice, clear as day in her head.

_ “Why is her skirt so fucking short today? I’m going to choke everyone in this school who even remotely looks her way.” _

She had looked over at him accusingly and shocked, assuming he had said it out loud to the class, only to find everyone else still quietly working and Jughead staring at her legs. They had experimented after that.

“Your connection is powerful,” Myles said warily, glancing over at FP. “You’ve moved through your lessons quickly, but this has been child’s play until now. There are many aspects of our bond that Sierra and I don’t use, but you will need as Alpha and Lumina. Things will begin to get intense now.”

His tone made Betty uneasy and she gripped his hands tighter.

“The soulmate link allows you both to become more powerful through each other, and it also allows you to help heal one another in times of injury or danger,” Sierra explained. “It’s dangerous, mind you. The more severe the injury, the more dangerous it can be.”

Jughead looked over to Betty to see if she was alright with this and she gave him a tight-lipped smile and nod.

“FP,” Myles called, standing and removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “This is what we talked about. Are you still okay with this?”

“I didn’t think this would come until later,” FP muttered, regretfully.

“So did we,” Sierra sighed, sympathetically, crossing the room to sit next to Betty.

Betty’s face flashed with worry as she glanced around the room at the adults around them. None of them looked too excited.

“I’ll, uh, go get Alice while you explain things... just in case,” FP stammered out.

FP headed out into the main hall and Sierra began to explain some of the darker magic involved in their bond.

“As Alpha, you’ll come across many enemies, Jughead. You too, Betty, will have your fair share of foes. Knowing how to heal each other and knowing the limits of your bond will help you as you lead the pack in the future.”

“Sierra and I have only had to do this three times,” Myles said, a grimace crossing his features as he spoke. “Once you’ve marked, you’ll use that as a point of blood draw, but until then we will have to make due by other means.”

Jughead could sense Betty’s tension coursing through him and tried to lighten the mood. “Well, I have to say that  _ this _ sounds like it’s going to be a blast. You all look like gloom and doom right about now, so how about you just get to the point here.”

Myles began to open a cabinet behind him, drawing out a dagger, brass knuckles, and some other implements of inflicting damage. Betty’s stomach began to flop nervously.

“When you were a kid and read fairy tales, they always spoke of true love’s kiss healing all,” Sierra began. “That’s partially true, and it came from old wolf lore, but there is more to it. The kiss alone won’t heal you, but that, accompanied with the blood of your mate will.”

“The blood of my what now?” Jughead countered skeptically. 

“When you two mark at your mating ceremony this summer, your blood will flow through each other,” Myles explained. “Soulmated blood has some unexplained properties. You can literally breathe life into each other with blood and a kiss.”

As Jughead and Betty pondered that thought, FP reinterred with Alice who looked a bit green. 

“Why do I get the idea that this next part of training isn’t going to be fun?” Jughead droned sarcastically as Myles handed a dagger to his wife and outfitted himself with brass knuckles.

“We haven’t been looking forward to this part as well, but as pack members, we are no strangers to fighting,” Myles offered apologetically. “Unfortunately the only way for you two to practice this is to need to be healed. We’ll start off tonight with healing you, Jughead. To ease the burden we will take turns between you and Betty.”

Betty’s jaw dropped open and her eyes were wide as Jughead stood up formidably next to her.

“Absolutely not,” he spat out. “You can bash my head in for all I care, but no one is hurting Betty.”

“Jughead,” Alice called out shakily as the voice of reason. “Do you think I want to watch someone bloody up my daughter? Because I don’t. But she’s in just as much danger as you once you take over the pack and you need to know how to heal her as well.”

Betty closed her eyes and using what she was taught, tried to calm his rapid heart rate. Standing, she slid her palm over his jaw and swallowed hard.

“It’s alright, Jug,” she reassured him. “They’re right. This is important. For both of us.”

Turning to Sierra, Betty took a deep breath and spoke again. “What do I have to do?”

Sierra passed her a sharpened dagger, the tip pointed enough to easily pierce her skin.

“Once you mark, he can just bite you there again. Alpha’s frequently re-mark their Lumina’s anyway, especially when lost in passion, so it will be second nature. His bite will feel cathartic to you, so this training will be more painful than once you actually mate. For now, you’ll just need to make a small knick near the juncture of your neck and shoulder for him. After he laps at you, kiss him and feel your breath entering his body. If done right, he’ll start to heal.”

“We can begin with small injuries tonight and test your limits as we go. It’s important that you know when to stop because giving him health siphons your own,” Myles finished.

“Do you have any questions?” Alice asked softly. “I know this is… a lot.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Betty touched her fingertip to the end of the dagger to test the blade. “Do you have to watch?”

Alice huffed out a laugh, loudly and boisterous. “If you think I’m letting you cut yourself open and letting an Alpha werewolf drink from you without me being here to protect you, then you are out of your mind.”

Betty rolled her eyes at her mother before turning to Jughead, concentrating and linking their minds.

_ “Are you alright?” _ she asked softly.

_ “I’m all for the hot kisses and telepathic link, but watching you bleed so I can bring you back to health? Not so much a kink for me.” _

_ “We’ll be fine, Jug,”  _ she urged him reassuringly.  _ “Besides, you get punched tonight, not me.” _

“Are you ready?” Myles asked, moving to the center of the room, sucking in a deep breath when Jughead nodded and braced himself for the blow. “Just one hit to start out with.”

Before Jughead could comprehend his words, Myles’ fist and brass knuckles flew, connecting with the side of his face by his jaw. Jughead stumbled backwards, not knocked out, but bleeding from his nose and lip, and definitely caught off guard.

“Juggie,” Betty cried out, reaching for him, but Sierra stopped her. Lifting her hand, she positioned the dagger by Betty’s neck and showed her where to cut. Betty’s hands were shaking as the blade pressed into her skin.

“Help her tonight, Sierra,” FP relented. “Show her how deep to cut and where.”

Sierra tightened her hands over Betty’s and pressed down gently, cutting a two-inch gash across her skin as Betty hissed, trying her best not to move.

“It will heal fast from his licks, Betty,” Sierra said sympathetically nudging her towards Jughead. “You’ll barely have a red mark by morning.”

With trembling hands Betty approached him and tilted her head to the side, offering herself up to him. Her eyes sought his out and found they were just as wide and nervous as her own. 

“Go ahead, boy,” FP urged him. “You’ll know what to do once your lips get a taste.”

Jughead took a tentative step forward and locked eyes with Betty.

_ “Love you,”  _ he conveyed to her silently, before dipping his head and licking at her neck. Her blood was like electricity running through him, a heat and need like he had never felt before and he latched his lips around her gash more solidly, resting a hand against her collarbone and the other on her hip. 

For Betty, it was a sense of euphoria. His lips burned and soothed her all at once, as she felt herself flow into him.

“That should be enough,” Sierra said, gently pulling Jughead back by the shoulders. “The more you practice, the better you’ll get at knowing when to stop. Now comes the least painful part. The kiss of life.”

Before Jughead was concerned about an audience, as was Betty, but at this moment neither could be bothered to care. Her fae blood coursing through his body left him reeling. Sliding his hand up her collarbone to her jaw, he dragged his lips from her neck to her mouth, kissing her shamelessly. He breathed her in and held her mouth open with strong fingers on her back and jaw, tangling his tongue with hers fervently.

Pulling back abruptly, they were both out of breath, chests heaving and pupils dilated. The cuts on his face had all but closed up, just the streaks of blood left on his cheeks from the blow.

“Well I’ll be damned,” FP muttered. “How do you feel boy?”

No answer came. Jughead stood full stature over Betty, their eyes locked on one another and pulses threading.

“We may need to give them a minute,” Myles suggested to FP and Alice, gesturing to the hall. “This connection is… intense to say the least. Unless you’ve experienced it you can’t understand it. The last time Sierra had to do it for me, let’s just say we snapped the bed in half after.”

Myles ushered the other adults into the hallway and the moment the door closed, Betty’s back was shoved recklessly into the bookcase, Jughead’s mouth descending on hers once more. With an arm around her wait he easily hoisted her up, Betty’s legs wrapping around his waist as her hands made their way under his t-shirt.

Using his hip, he pinned her to the wooden shelf to free his hands, trailing his lips down her neck to the dip in her tank top, his hands smoothing up over her stomach, tickling the exposed skin he found there. A roll of his hips brought out a feral growl from Betty which pulled them both from their trance. Panting, they placed their foreheads against one another and calmed their breathing.

“How much longer until you’re eighteen?” he breathed out with difficulty.

“That was… intensely intimate,” Betty agreed breathlessly. “I’ve never felt anything like that. I could actually feel my blood in your body, my breath in your lungs.”

Sliding her legs down, they stood, still shaky. Jughead guided her over to a couch nearby where they sat, syncing their heartbeats and calming their breathing while wound tightly in an embrace. A few moments later the door to the room clicked open and Sierra carefully peeked inside before nodding and allowing the others back in.

FP and Alice entered tentatively, glancing at the two of them wrapped up on the couch.“You two alright?” FP asked softly. “I know this can’t be easy on you at your age.”

“We’re alright,” Betty smiled, limply. “It was just a bit overwhelming.”

“It always is,” Sierra apologized with a squeeze to Betty’s shoulder. “But in the best ways. You two seemed to handle that much better than Myles and I did the first time. Again?”

Betty looked at Jughead and they both nodded in mutual acquiescence.

“Again.”

  
  


**Fox Forest**

**May 2019**

Betty snuck through the trees, sniffing and watching behind her. She was sure she hadn’t been followed, but her circumstances left no room for mistakes.

Thirty minutes ago she had been in bed when her heart began to pound. It was a feeling that she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to. She closed her biology textbook and sat up, tugging her curtain to the side to peer out her window. In the distance, a pair of familiar yellow eyes stared back at her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

As the wolf took off in a run, Betty bit her lip and tiptoed across her bedroom, opening the door carefully to check for light under her mother’s door. When she found it dark, she closed her door quietly and moved back to her window, lifting the glass carefully before sneaking out into the night air.

Betty tucked her pajamas behind a bush before shifting into her wolf form and darting off in the same direction as the wolf that had left before her.

Now she had almost reached her intended destination, one she had become very well acquainted with over the past year. It was their secret spot, a rendezvous meeting point she and Jughead had established last year when they realized keeping their relationship secret was much harder than it had originally seemed, especially the older they got.

She reached the agreed-upon meeting spot and her heart began to beat fast again. She slowed down her run and willed herself to control its thump against her chest. She didn’t know what had him so worked up tonight, but through their connection, she could feel his heart pounding through her chest and his adrenaline pumping.

Shifting back into her human form, Betty ducked behind a nearby boulder where she stashed a bag with extra clothes. Their first meetup a year ago had almost ended in disaster when neither of them anticipated what would happen after they shifted. They were used to being nude at pack training but alone was another thing entirely. Jughead’s gums had begun to ache with the need to mark her and an intense heat rose through both of them. In seconds, she had been pinned to the ground with his teeth at her neck, his nose rubbing back and forth against her pulse point. 

Betty wasn’t afraid of him, she wanted him just as badly, but she knew they needed to wait. She pushed at his chest, calling out his name, but his pupils had gone wide and dilated. He was caught somewhere between his wolf and himself. With everything in her, she’d gripped his shoulders and called out his name.

“Jughead!” she yelled forcefully. “Off of me, now!”

Moments later his body was blown across the forest, hitting a tree and falling fast to the ground. She had run to his side and helped him up, stumbling on foot to the Serpent Lodge to find his father. 

Alice had shown up moments later. Though Jughead was conscious and no damage was done, they had been reprimanded thoroughly for their carelessness.

“Mom,” Betty had said shakily. “What  _ was  _ that? One minute I was pushing him and the next he was clear across the trees!”

“Fae magic, Betty,” Alice sighed. “I thought we’d have longer before it manifested, but it seems your body is producing it early as a defense mechanism. Between your mark and your fae blood, Jughead wasn’t able to stop himself.”

Her lessons with Alice had started shortly after that. Since then, she had gotten better at controlling her magic and he had become much more able to engage in self-control.

Pulling on the t-shirt she’d stashed, she found him, already dressed, waiting against a tree for her.

“Hey there, handsome,” she teased. “Nice night for a moonlit stroll?”

He spit out the toothpick he chewed on, a habit he got from his father, before quickly striding over to her, lifting her onto the boulder nearby so they were eye level.

“I didn’t exactly have a stroll in mind when I called on you tonight.”

Betty wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled widely, looking at him through her lashes. “Oh really? And what, my powerful future Alpha, would you ever want with me?”

“Well, my fierce future Lumina,” he said gruffly. “Something like this…”

His mouth slanted over hers softly and he swallowed her slight gasp of surprise. No matter how many times they kissed she never got used to it. Taking advantage of her gasp, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, sliding one hand up and into her hair and the other down onto her thigh. 

Betty’s skin buzzed and began to shine, still unable to completely control her fae magic when he was like this. She shivered and rolled her tongue around his, her hands slipping down against his chest, rubbing up and under his t-shirt to feel his bare skin, her legs wrapping around his waist as he pushed her flat down against the stone, his hands gripping her hips bruisingly.

“Jug,” she said breathlessly as his lips nipped at her jaw and lapped down the side of her neck as their hips ground against each other needily.

“Mine,” he growled into her skin and she melted under his gaze. God help her, but a part of her loved when his Alpha side came out. 

Before she could respond, a sound of nearby leaves crunching startled them from their embrace. Lips swollen, they turned towards the sound, only to find FP emerging from the trees.

“Dad?” Jughead called confused. “What are you… How did you…?”

“Please, boy,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You didn’t think Alice and I knew you two have been sneaking out here for the last year?”

Betty blushed and sat up straight, pushing Jughead up and off of her.

With a shake of her head, Betty blanched in disbelief. “Mom never said anything. If she knew she never would have let me get away with it.”

FP shrugged and meandered over to where they stood.

“We didn’t want to at first,” he admitted. “But Sierra and Myles said things were already hard enough for you two being marked and having to… wait. That the draw you had was already intense and painful to control. On top of that, Alice knows the pull of fae attraction. We decided as long as you kept to our original terms we’d let it slide.”

Jughead was furious, eying his father with disdain. “So what? You’ve just been spying on us like a voyeur? How do you know we kept up our deal?”

FP shook his head and laughed at his son. “Boy, first of all, no. We don’t follow you out here. We know you upheld the deal because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been able to do so without marking Betty. Second, I’m here because I need you both to come to the lodge. It’s about Polly and Alice is there waiting.”

**Serpent Lodge**

“Mom?” Betty cried out breathlessly as she ran through the doors. “Where’s Polly? Is she alright?”

Finally getting a good look at Alice, she saw her bruised shoulder and the ice pack that was pressed to the side of her face.

“Oh my God, Mom! What happened to you?”

“I’m alright,” Alice said stiffly, wincing as she moved the ice pack off her jaw to reveal a nasty, purpling bruise. “It was… Polly. She attacked me.”

FP sat down on the arm of the chair next to Alice and rubbed at her shoulder sympathetically. For an Alpha, he showed a great balance of ferocity and compassion, a lesson Jughead had learned made him a popular, unchallenged leader.

“Polly?” Betty said, baffled. “But why? How? Polly has never so much as hurt a fly.”

Betty clenched her fists into tight balls and sat down across from her mother in a wood chair, as Jughead came to stand behind her. It made no sense why Polly would snap. Did they fight? Was she drinking?

Alice looked forlorn. Her face was pale and her eyes red and swollen. Betty knew her mother well. She was a tough woman and the tears weren’t from taking a punch.

“There’s more anger in Polly than we knew. She made that quite clear tonight. I thought she was happy at college and made peace with her life, but that wasn’t the case.”

“What did she say?” Betty asked softly, concerned not only for her mother but her sister’s well-being, too.

“She noticed the time we’ve been spending together and said we’ve been whispering secrets. She said…,” Alice paused in a sob. “She said that she didn’t feel like a part of our family any more, so she made a new one.”

“She found a pack willing to turn her,” FP said somberly, as Alice cried harder at the thought.

“But that’s dangerous!” Jughead cried. “Bitten wolves don’t always shift properly! They can get stuck in wolf form or go rogue and on a killing spree!”

_ “Not helping,” _ Betty silently communicated to him as Alice’s shoulders began to shudder and she folded into FP’s chest.

Curling her fists in tighter, her nails began to pierce her skin. “Who would do this?” Betty asked. “Why would they even risk something like this?”

Jughead was kneeling before her in an instant, prying her fists open. He had felt the pinpricks in his own palms as she clenched hers.

“We will figure this out, Betty,” Jughead reassured her. “I won’t let anyone hurt Polly.”

“But it could already be too late!” she cried, frantically searching the room for a solution or answer to bring her home at once.

“There’s more at stake here than just Polly,” FP said, worried. He shifted his eyes between Betty and a Jughead and bit down on his lip in thought. “Another pack could be using her for information about us. And if she even caught a whiff of your soulmarking or Betty’s fae blood, well then we are in hot water over here. They will come for Betty.”

The large wooden oak door crept open and they all turned worriedly toward the sound as Hilda entered the room.

“Just me,” she said in her smiley, sing-song voice. “No weres, vamps, or fairies. But I did bring scones. Freshly baked and ready to make you feel a bit lighter, eh?”

Her chipper tone was almost to the room and she slid her wide-warm eyes back and forth over each of them one-by-one. “No takers then? Alright, time for business then I suppose.”

She placed the tray of snacks on the table before pulling a string with an attached crystal, three candles, a map, and some incense from her bag.

“Did you bring something of Polly’s, Alice?” Hilda asked sweetly, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

“I don’t know if it’s enough,” Alice stuttered out. “I’m so upset I can’t even muster up enough magic to grow a fern right now. I just grabbed a headband, Hilda-”

“That’s plenty, love,” she smiled. “The headband will do nicely. Oh! Look! Even some little hairs on it! Lucky for us. That will help us track her down.”

Hilda spread out the map on the coffee table and lit the incense sticks she had brought as well. She rubbed the crystal back and forth across Polly’s headband a few times before lifting it to her nose to inhale the fabric. When she had finished, she placed the hair accessory on the table next to the three candles which she lit with a flick of her wrist.

Taking the string, she held the crystal above the map and closed her eyes, only to open them a moment later due to a distracting rustling sound in the room.

All eyes flew to a Jughead who was no longer kneeling in front of Betty but was now grabbing a scone from the bag on the tray.

“Sorry,” he muttered, mouth full. “They smelled good and I was hungry”

“Are you ever not hungry?” Betty muttered sarcastically with an eye-roll, receiving a wiggle of his eyebrows in return.

“I”mmm ump gwowing boyf, Betts,” he muffled out with his mouth now full.

“Yes, yes,” Hilda sighed. “Now that you’re fed, I’m going to need quiet in here.”

She lifted the crystal once more and hung it over the center of the map, swirling it in small circles, her eyes shut tightly as she swayed with her words.

“Crystalo, crystalo per spheara, ostende mihi faciem id quod quaerit est inveniri.”

As she strung began to spin faster, she lowered it slowly towards the map, a fraction of a centimeter at a time, the circles and movements becoming more erratic and less orb-like.

“Crystalo, crystalo per spheara, ostende mihi faciem id quod quaerit est inveniri.”

Like a magnet to its opposing pole, the crystal began to jutt out to the side, pulling towards the map.

“Crystalo, crystalo per spheara, ostende mihi faciem id quod quaerit est inveniri.”

The spinning stopped and with one quick thrust, the tip of the crystal pierced the map like an arrow from a bow, smack dab in the middle of Stonewall Manor.

“Son of a-” FP swore, swiping an angry hand down his face. “This is bad. This is about as bad as it gets.”

“What is?” Betty cried, peering over at the map. “Where is she? Where is Polly?”

“Oh dear,” Hilda sighed, her usual smile replaced with a serious expression. “Well, it’s definitely not good.”

“FP,” Alice shuddered. “You were right. This is about more than just turning Polly. This is about territories and power. They’re using her as a mole.”

Jughead began to pace the room. “So, what do we do?” Do we go after them? Do we tell the pack?”

“No,” FP said commandingly, placing you a hand to stop him in his tracks. “They need Polly for leverage. She probably thinks she has a deal with them, but they are using her to get to us. We are targets on their turf. We wait until they come to us.”

Betty leaped from her chair with the force of dynamite. “But Polly-”

“Polly betrayed us,” FP shouted with a snarl, his eyes glowing yellow as he fought to control himself. “She knew the risks. We can’t risk the entire pack right now. She’d go running right back to them anyway.”

A sudden knock on the door jarred them from their debate.

“Sir?” a voice called from the other side.

“I said no disturbances, Fangs,” FP spat out. 

“Yes, sir, I know, but-”

“No disturbances means no dist-”

Before he could finish the door swung open, the fiery flame of Penelope Blossom’s red hair appearing, the color matching that of her blood-shot eyes.

“This can't wait, FP,” she cried. “It’s Jason. He’s gone.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading along guys! I’m trying to do some larger chapters at a time, so the time in between is a bit longer than my usual stories! But not too long! Writing these really reduces my stress level, so thanks for your kind words and encouragement!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brawl, a dance, and a birthday. I hope you enjoy!  
> Many thanks to @jandjsalmon for her edits and suggestions!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr for updates! @likemereckless

**Stonewall Manor**

**May 2019**

“Hello?” Jason called out, his hoarse voice echoing down the stone corridor as he paced in his cell. “Hello! Is anyone there? Polly!”

“Would you shut it?” a gruff voice replied, towering over him and pounding on the metal bars that held him.

“Where am I? Where is Polly? I saw her when you monsters attacked me. Is she hurt?”

The large man laughed, spitting out the toothpick he chewed on before leaning back against the wall.

“Pollyanna?” he laughed. “She’s fine. We didn’t  _ take _ her. She came willingly.”

Jason stopped his pacing and grabbed at the bars encasing him. “What do you mean? Polly would never hurt me. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

His captor laughed again, shaking his head back and forth. “You don’t know your golden-haired princess as well as you think. She may look like a cupcake, but she’s stuffed with arsenic.”

“Eddie,” a voice called from up the cellar steps. “Gladys needs you in the meeting room.”

“Gotta go, pretty boy,” he chuckled, turning from Jason. “We have some plans to make to take down your pack, and it’s all thanks to your precious Pollyanna.”

“Hey!” Jason yelled, shaking the bars with all his body weight pressed against them. “Let me out of here! FP Jones will destroy you!”

His cries fell on deaf ears as his captor just laughed again before shutting the light and leaving him in the dark.

  
  


**Serpent Lodge Lounge**

**June 2019**

The school year was winding down rapidly and the days until Betty’s birthday and the summer mating ceremony were thinning. They could both feel it; the crackle and extra tension in the air. Jughead knew she was nervous, not just about the ceremony itself, but the expectation that accompanied it. When FP stepped down, which he planned to do a few months later, she would take her place beside him as his Lumina.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Polly and Jason had been gone for a month with no communication. Penelope had been demanding the pack break down the doors to Stonewall Manor and retrieve her son but half the pack believed that he abandoned his own people and should be left with the consequences.

FP had assuaged all of their fears and calmed their anger, explaining that things went much deeper than they knew. He assured them that, in time, the issue would be addressed naturally. Until then, he asked for no rash actions by members of the pack. This whole predicament was probably why he pushed back his abdication a few months. This was no mess for a new Alpha and Lumina to deal with as they navigated their own relationship as well.

In truth, Jughead wished he’d push it back further. He was unsure why his father was looking to abdicate his position so quickly. FP loved being Alpha and was beloved by the pack. If he thought Jughead wanted to take over this early he was sorely mistaken. 

Jughead glanced around the lounge where all his friends were hanging out. They were playing pool and darts and were just enjoying the last days of being children in the eyes of the pack before taking on more responsibility. Most of them, like he and Betty, would be attending community college nearby, choosing to stay close to home and the pack. After their official coming of age, they’d vie for jobs in the pack by stating their intentions, whether in healing, politics, or combat. Others would run the businesses they owned in town, like the White Wyrm and Pop’s. The fact that sweet, old Pop Tate would shift and go on moonlit runs with the pack, while being retired from most other strenuous pack business, would surprise many in their small sleepy town. A few chose to venture out further, looking at other options, like Josie, who had declined mate offers, having felt no immediate draw or connection to anyone, and was choosing instead to pursue a career in music. She was heading to New York shortly after graduation.

Some packs would permanently banish those members, but not FP. He encouraged them to explore if they needed to and come home when they were ready. Most of those who left returned. A few who left found new packs. FP released them from their pack bonds graciously and let them live their life. 

Jughead knew his father was not the typical Alpha. He was reminded of this as he watched Kevin and Fangs flirt in a corner, happy that after two years, Fangs would probably join the mating ceremony this year. Most packs believed in mating for the purpose of reproduction only and therefore same-sex couples were not permitted. FP was one of the only exceptions in their community. Their pack was close and happy. There had been no uprisings or mutiny. 

Tearing his eyes away from his friends, Jughead scanned the room for Betty. He found her up against the foosball table chatting with Cheryl and Veronica. Smiling to himself, he focused on their telepathic link and sent a string of dirty phrases her way, watching her shift uncomfortably back and forth and turn red as she tried to maintain her conversation without giving anything away.

Their thoughts had gotten markedly more explicit since their “talk” with FP and Alice a month ago after their session with Myles and Sierra. He cringed thinking back on it.

The McCoys had just left that night. Betty was mostly healed after Sierra had jabbed a knife into her thigh so Jughead could practice healing her with a deeper wound. It wasn’t a particularly fond memory for the most part. She had needed more blood to heal that wound before he kissed her, breathing health back into her body. This deeper wound called for more of his health and this more of his breath and to the horror of their parents they had wound up horizontal on the couch. Betty had been all but pulling his hair out to draw him in closer, grinding their hips against one another.

“Before we head out tonight kids, Alice and I think we should all talk,” FP stammered. “About the mating ceremony.”

Betty and Jughead shifted uncomfortably on the couch. It was odd enough knowing that a ceremony was approaching where the entire pack basically expected them to get it on, but talking about it with their parents was another level entirely.

Alice sat up straighter and put on her ‘serious conversation’ face. Betty was all too familiar with that look and knew they were trapped. “With only two months left until the ceremony, FP and I thought that we should talk about what to expect.”

Jughead sighed and rolled his eyes at his father. “We’ve both had ‘the talk’ in school and have been to mating ceremonies before, Dad. We all stand up there, I bite her, we party. What more is there to know?”

FP chuckled and nodded at his son before glancing nervously around the room. “That is how a  _ normal _ mating ceremony works. And that’s how it will begin for your friends. But you two are not normal. It’s different for the Alpha and Lumina. I had a council meeting last night to change some… outdated pack laws. The vote is tomorrow, but Fred, Hiram, and Myles already agreed to vote my way so the changes will go through. I want you to know before you hear anything about an Alpha mating ceremony.”

This was news to them. It wasn’t a surprise that they didn’t know. There hadn’t been an Alpha mating ceremony in over fifty years. His father and mother hadn’t participated in one officially and Jughead could never get anyone to explain the odd circumstances to him.

“Different how?” Betty asked nervously. 

“Well, you’ll start out in human form and take your vows, not as a group like the others, but on your own.”

Jughead chortled and scoffed at his father. “That’s not that different.”

“Betty”, Alice said gently. “You know the job of a Lumina is traditionally to breed, so Hermione will expose your stomach and pray with the pack over you, for fertility and that you’re fruitful.”

Betty looked horrified and Alice jumped in quickly. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. They will all kneel and be folded towards the ground and Hermione, as pack historian and healer, will place a blessing over your abdomen. It’s the duty of a Lumina to breed and ensure pack survival, Betty. I’m not encouraging you to do that right away, but it is a pack expectation.”

FP nodded in agreement and took over. “Once that part is done, you’ll shift, Jughead, and will bite Betty, giving her the first half of her Lumina mark from your wolf form.”

FP poured himself a drink as he finished, tired from a long day. “Afterwards, traditionally, the Alpha would pick up his mate and carry her to the packhouse with the rest of the pack following along behind.”

Here FP trailed off a bit, glancing uncomfortably around the room. “Normally the pack would escort you to the consummation room and wait outside the door while a few, select people entered as witnesses to attest that the marriage was consummated. Occasionally, it happened right on stage with the whole pack present, but normally it would be like Alice and me, a friend from each of you, and the council. In the past, we’ve kept up archaic traditions but I don’t want to do that to you."

“Dad! There’s no way-“

FP held up a hand to silence Jughead.

“The last time that happened was in 1957 with your Grandpa and he probably relished in the opportunity to show off his equipment with no regard for my mother, that son-of-a-“

“Oh my God, gross,” Betty blanched as Alice rolled her eyes at FP’s lack of filter before FP continued.

“That’s why I talked to the pack about putting an end to that particular aspect of the event. Tomorrow night they will vote that the members can escort you to the packhouse and you go in alone from there. Your first time will be private. When you re-emerge, it shouldn’t be until breakfast the next morning and Betty will be marked by you in human form to complete the circle and Lumina mark. That should be enough proof of mating. Then the pack will celebrate with you.”

Betty’s stomach was churning and her face was on fire. They both sat silent for a while taking this all in. “I feel like this is medieval times,” Betty whispered finally. “It’s like one giant virginity party. Tell me, will you hang the sheets out the packhouse window or present them on a silver platter to be displayed at the next pack meeting?!”

“It  _ is  _ a mating ceremony,” FP conceded. “Everyone knows the purpose of it is to… mate. Everyone has gone through it and mating is perfectly natural. It’s not like your friends won’t be doing the same thing. You just have a bit more of a public role to fill and I’ve tried to make it a  _ lot less  _ public for you.”

Later that night, they had snuck to their secret place and Betty had laid on his chest gazing up at the sky.

“I’m nervous, Jug,” she had confessed. “What if we lose control after all these years of pent up tension. What if it hurts and I can’t do it. Will everyone know? Will we be able to complete the mark? Oh my God, what if the whole lodge hears us? I’ll be mortified to let our friends' parents see my virginity bedsheets!”

He turned slightly, rolling them both to their sides before looking deep into her eyes to reassure her. “Everything will be fine,” he promised. “We’re wolves, Betty. It will be like second nature to us. I promise I won’t hurt you...much. Plus, who cares if they hear us? Let them be jealous.”

She smirked at that and squeezed his hand. “Maybe… maybe we should test our boundaries a little beforehand? We’ve spent years kissing and grinding with a few other adventurous occurrences and now it’s here and I’m worried we shouldn’t have taken our parents so literally.”

Jughead tipped her chin up and kissed her softly. “We can do that,” he agreed. “My self-control should hopefully be better than it was. But not tonight. Tonight I watched you get stabbed in the thigh and while I know it will only help us in the long run, it messes with my psyche. How about we just lay here for now and be a normal couple and not a future Alpha and Lumina.”

“Hmmm,” Betty hummed contentedly against him before furrowing her brow and frowning again. “Jug, your dad said there hadn’t been an Alpha mating ceremony in fifty years. What about… what about him and your mom?”

It was a sore subject. One that no one brought up. Jughead’s mother had left when he was only three, never to return. FP never spoke of it and had never taken another mate. Jughead, in his anger towards his mother and her abandonment, had never questioned things.

“I was wondering about that as well. Maybe it’s time to open up some old wounds and ask my dad about it. But not tonight.” Rolling into his back, he pulled her into his chest, inhaling the lavender scent of her hair as she tucked herself under his chin. He held her that whole night, enjoying the quiet and calm that was afforded to them, closed off from the world.

Motion across the room startled Jughead from his thoughts. A game of pool that Fred Andrews and his father had been playing against Sweet Pea and Archie had just ended and they called Veronica and Cheryl over to play next. As they left, Betty turned to find Jughead, but a pair of broad shoulders blocked her way.

“Hey, Chuck,” she smiled. “Having a good night?”

Chuck scanned Betty from shoe to ponytail, plastering on what he believed to be his most seductive grin. Betty could smell the beer on his breath as he leaned in closer.

Jughead’s fists clenched and his blood began to boil. “Mine,” he fumed under his breath.

“It’s better now that I get to talk to you,” he leered, placing a hand on her hip, skimming the patch of exposed skin between her skirt and t-shirt. “I was hoping to maybe talk to you about prom. We could go together and then after test our compatibility. There is a mating ceremony coming up after all.”

Slowly, Jughead rose from his chair, chest heaving, seething with rage at his hands on her body.

“As flattering as that is, Chuck,” Betty said, removing his hand, feeling Jughead’s heart rate elevate, “I’m going to have to pass. I just don’t feel the connection or pull with you that you're supposed to feel when you meet your mate.”

Ignoring her, Chuck put his hands back on her hips and walked Betty back against the wall. The room seemed to go silent as FP registered what was happening with Betty before his gaze caught Jughead who was already stalking his way across the room. There was no way he could get there before his son did, but FP took off in a flash anyway jumping the pool table as a shortcut.

“Jughead! Boy!” he yelled out as everyone turned to look.

“Cmon, Betty,” Chuck laughed. “It’s not like you have another date. I’m a catch. With your family history, you’d be lucky to have me. I’ve been told I’m  _ very _ good.”

Before Betty could utter a word, Jughead’s hands were on Chuck’s shoulders, pulling him back violently.

“Mine,” Jughead snarled territorially before Chuck was all but blasted across the room. 

Jughead’s Alpha adrenaline could not be calmed and he slid his hand across Betty’s jaw, pressing her further back into the wall kissing her hungrily, letting the whole room know that she was his. Her hands tangled in his hair as her body still sparked with remnants of magic after blasting Chuck off her body, luckily having it appear as though Jughead had done the heavy lifting.

FP helped Chuck off the floor as the whole room looked on in awe as Jughead claimed Betty Cooper’s lips as his own, his hands on either side of her head holding her in place. After a moment she pulled back and met his eyes, feral and wild. She rested her forehead against his, willing his heartbeat to calm. Even with her influence, he barked out, “Mine” to everyone and no one.

The room was full of quiet chatter and whispers. Cheryl and Toni gawked and hooted while Ethel quietly ducked out into the hallway. Archie looked like he just won a Superbowl ring and Veronica could be heard yelling, “I knew it! I fucking knew it!”

“Show's over folks,” FP announced. “Nothing more to see here.”

He began to urge Jughead to let Betty breathe, waving him back from where he had her pinned to the wall.

“You two okay?” FP asked quietly, approaching a still raging Jughead slowly. 

“We’re good, FP,” Betty reassured him. “I can feel him calming down.”

“Dad, I’m sorry,” Jughead breathed out against Betty’s skin. “I tried to control myself but-”

FP held up a hand to silence him. “You don’t need to apologize,” he said warmly. “You two have been  _ so  _ good and have dealt with this for so long. No harm in letting people think you're dating now. There’s only a month to go and I know it's getting harder every day. Why don’t you two get out of here and I’ll deal with damage control.”

Nodding, Betty lifted her head from where it rested on Jughead’s before straightening up. He laced his fingers through hers and without a word, or a glance, at anyone else, tugged her directly through the lounge and up to his bedroom. He could hear FP’s voice booming behind them as they ascended the stairs.

“Clearly my son was serious when he said he would claim what he wanted when it was time,” he joked, nervous laughs filling the lounge. “I guess that means the rest of you are safe, for now. Stay, hang out, and have a good time. No more fighting will happen here tonight.”

Jughead clicked his door shut, muscles still tense and trembling from what Betty would normally call a toxic display of masculinity, however she looked anything but upset with her lips swollen, her eyes wide, and her ponytail askew.

Jughead ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, trying to gain some semblance of self-control.

“I’m so sorry, Betts,” he huffed out shakily. “I don’t know what came over me. I just- he was touching you and I swear since I turned eighteen the Alpha in my blood has been teetering on the surface and I just wanted everyone to know that you are mine. It’s like an instinct and I know you hate that.”

“No,” Betty whispered softly, resting a palm on his cheek and turning his head so he looked right at her. “I should hate it. But I don’t. I want to be yours. Every inch of my skin craves you and your mark. When you yelled, “Mine,” it… well, it turned me on, Juggie.” 

She whispered out the last part so quietly it was as if she hadn’t said anything at all. She should have been more shy considering the innocence of their intimacy, but hiding her desire would be useless. He’d feel it anyway, coursing through her veins. Silence hung in the air between them for a moment before Jughead’s wild eyes returned and Betty found herself momentarily airborne, landing on his soft mattress before being covered by his body.

He pressed her back into the pillows and tore at her lips bruisingly, pausing at intervals to run his nose up and down her neck, craving to bite into her skin. Afraid of slipping, he tore himself away from that area and dropped his hands to the edge of her shirt, ripping it up and over her head before leaving purple welts on the soft swell of her chest. He need not ask permission out loud as all he could hear was ‘yes, please’ being sighed through their silent connection.

Satisfied with his makeshift marking across her chest and collarbone, he slid a palm down her stomach, fingers deftly undoing the button of her jeans and zipper in seconds flat, before looking up at her pouting lips and drooping eyes.

_ “Whatever you want, I’ll say yes,”  _ she answered him silently before he could even ask.

With complete confidence, he slipped his hand beneath her jeans and the pink cotton she wore under them. Betty arched her back and closed her eyes, unable to control the movement of her hips. He watched her, enraptured by the complete lack of control and enthralled by the fact that he was responsible for it. A strong urge came over him to ravage her thoroughly and completely. He wanted her writhing and raw, his name dropping from her lips. 

Betty had just regained enough conscious thought to slide her hand down his stomach and to his own jeans when a knock sounded on the door.

“Go away,” Jughead all but growled. 

“It’s me, boy,” FP called out as Jughead’s head dropped down low. Separating, the pair tried to regain their composure, Betty shaking with need and from the loss of his warmth. If this was fooling around regularly she couldn’t imagine what a heat would feel like when the time came. She might die.

“You can come in,” Jughead called out after a few moments.

When he entered, FP took in Betty’s shaking form, the disheveled blankets and Jughead's tense jaw. 

“I can see that you’re probably not too happy to see me right now,” FP conceded. “I just wanted to make sure you were able to calm down. You’re better than I was back in my day. I would have sent Chuck out a window.”

Jughead laughed a bit and cocked an eyebrow at his father. “I didn’t realize that was an option. Is he still here? Because I can finish what I started.”

“Relax,” FP laughed. “It was nice to see you rough him up a bit, honestly. That boy gets to me sometimes.” Turning to Betty, he shared some other news. “I called Alice. I figured she should hear that people know you two are dating before it spreads through the pack.”

Betty nodded. “We’ll keep our marks hidden. Maybe everyone will think Jughead is just blowing off steam before he picks an actual mate.”

Jughead growled at her flippant remark, still worked up from earlier, earning himself an eye roll from Betty.

“We  _ want  _ them to think that, Juggie, remember?”

“I think that time has come and gone, Betty. They all know Jughead too well to think that he’d be sowing his wild oats now. They know he’s chosen you. Anyway, it’s late and you’re still worked up, boy. You should head on home, Betty. I’ll let Alice know you're on your way.”

Betty knew she was being dismissed. FP probably wanted to talk to his son about the upcoming weeks after tonight’s display of testosterone. She gave FP a quick tight-lipped smile before pecking Jughead goodnight lightly. 

“Text me when you’re home?” he called out to her as she opened his bedroom door.

Nodding, she slipped out of the room, down the stairs and snuck carefully passed the frenzied sounds of partying still coming from the lounge before stepping out into the warm June air.

The stars were faded, blanketed by thick clouds high up, leaving the path to her house dark. She wasn’t afraid. She had walked that way many nights alone, but there was a nagging tug in her lower belly tonight, a feeling as though she was being watched. She picked up her pace just a bit, suddenly eager to be home.

A rustling in the trees drew her eyes to the forest. A large pair of golden eyes surrounded by blonde fur stared back at her, unfamiliar. Instinctually, she took off at a run, ready to shift and ruin her clothes in a moment’s notice if need be. The wolf stayed along the tree line, watching her run, almost as if to give her a head start before taking off in a sprint after her. 

She should have shifted, but her body began to bubble with energy, buzzing and building under her skin. Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she spun quickly and yelled out a great shout, tossing her hands out in front of her. A shimmering golden wall emanated from her palms and tossed the wolf two hundred feet from where it had been standing.

Betty didn’t pause to check if it was alright, but instead used the wolf’s prone and stunned form to her advantage and ran the rest of the way home, never once looking back.

  
  


**Cooper Household**

Betty was exhausted. When she arrived home, frantic and ranting about a rogue wolf, Alice called FP and Jughead. They showed up at their door in minutes. After retelling the tale of her attack, FP sent pack members out to track the wolf, but the scent was lost in the woods. Much to FP's displeasure, they couldn’t tell if it was a rogue or a wolf from Stonewall Manor. 

Betty was angry to discover that, for her safety, she was now under constant watch. Jughead or another pack member were assigned to accompany her everywhere she went. The only perk of the entire night was that their parents decided she would actually be able to attend prom now that the cat was out of the bag, and she’d be able to attend with Jughead at her side. 

Somewhere around three in the morning, she had finally fallen into bed, hoping to sleep until noon. Her hopes were dashed as she felt weighted dips in her bed and a shake to her shoulder.

“Oh, Beeeeee,” a voice called. “Wake up, Bettykins.”

“Mmm, go away,” Betty mumbled into her pillow, spitting out a curl of her hair that spilled into her open mouth.

“Cooper, please,” she heard Josie mouth from her other side. “If you think any of us are leaving without the  _ full _ scoop of what happened between you and Jones in his room last night you are out of your mind.”

“More sleep,” Betty sighed into her pillow. “More sleep and less talking.”

The searing burn of freezing cold ice water had her inhaling and jumping from her bed. She sucked in a gasping breath as Cheryl stood by with a tilted water bottle and a devious smirk on her face.

“Oh good,” Toni said sweetly. “You’re awake. Now, talk.”

Betty glared at her friends, ripping off her wet t-shirt and grabbing another from her dresser drawer to throw on instead, forgetting the events of her night for a moment.

“Are those  _ all _ hickeys?” Toni yelled out, spinning Betty around, gesturing to the purple bruises covering her skin. “He wasn’t kidding when he said you were his. Did he leave anywhere unblemished?”

Toni pulled on the elastic of Betty’s sleep shorts, looking for evidence of how low the blemishes decorated her skin. Slapping Toni’s hands away, Betty slipped on her t-shirt before sitting on her desk bench, her hands pressed between her knees.

“I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m cranky,” she spat at them. “Can we please get this over with?”

The four girls in her bedroom all began to yell out questions at the same time, increasing the pounding in Betty’s head ten-fold. 

“One at a time,” she groaned, rubbing at her temples and plotting to down a bottle of aspirin once they left.

Veronica stared down the rest of their friends, puffing out her chest.

“Me first. I’m the best friend,” she said smugly before turning back to Betty. “Before we get  _ any  _ dirty details which is what these bitches are after, all I want to know is do you like him? Because this is... _ big _ , Betty. Jughead does  _ nothing _ lightly and he seems to have you in his sights to be his mate. Is that what you want or are you just stuck?”

Betty stood and moved to sit on the bed next to her friend, squeezing Veronica’s hand gently. “I appreciate your concern, V. I know it comes from a place of love. But you don’t have to worry. Jughead and I have been dancing around this for a long time. I- I love him. I have for what seems like forever and he feels the same. Last night it just all came to a head.”

“Speaking of head,” Cheryl teased.

“Jesus, Cher,” Toni said with a frown. “Can you ever just do subtle?”

“Oh, sweet TT, you know subtle is not my style. Plus Betty opened up with the perfect segue. Now spill, Betty. What exactly went on in the Alpha’s bedchambers last night that left you covered in more bite marks than a vampire victim.”

Betty flashed crimson as her friends studied her closely. “We just kissed and… stuff.”

“And stuff?” Josie pressed, eyes sparkling with mischief.

Betty rolled her eyes and walked back across the room, her back turned to the girls.

“Betttyyy,” Veronica drawled. “Give us something, girl. He’s a future Alpha. We want to know if he’s as tough in the sheets as he is in the streets!”

“V!” Betty cried even more tomato in color than before. “We didn’t… have sex! Do you think I’m that easy?”

“How far did it go?” Toni smirked. “Just give us a nod at the range.”

She pointed at her lips and lowered her hand downward towards her chest, then her stomach, and finally stopped her hips as Betty turned away blushing again.

“Damn,” Cheryl grinned. “He wasted no time.”

If  _ only you knew,  _ Betty thought to herself.

“Can you  _ please _ go now?” Betty gushed out.

“Sorry, B,” Veronica sighed. “We need to talk 'prom' since I’m assuming you're attending now, and we also want to know more about the Alpha’s prowess in the bedroom.”

Betty groaned. It looked like sleep was not happening anytime soon.

…..

The last two weeks of June had been a blur. Veronica’s idea of prom planning was exhausting. Why they had to coordinate cuts of dresses, colors, and pre-plan photo poses was beyond Betty’s understanding. 

Alice had been bopping about all week, still high on happiness after their 'mother-daughter dress shopping bonding experience' as Alice called it.

The whole affair had taken seven hours and a total of forty-two dresses before Alice had deemed a green dress “the one.” It was fitted and strapless, the silk falling down to her ankles with a slit up the side. It was a dress Betty would have never expected her mother to approve of, but Alice shrugged her off saying half the pack saw her naked after shifting anyway. At least this had actual fabric.

Prom also marked another significant event in her life. The next day, July first, Betty would turn eighteen. Four days later she would be mated to Jughead for life. She was basically getting married, but without all the tears and credit card debt human couples accrued during their engagement. She kept trying to push it all from her mind and just focus on prom and one last day of being a child.

Her hair and makeup had taken two hours and now she found herself at the Serpent Lodge, her mother at her side, where FP had pre-prom snacks set up so they could take group photos before the dance.

“B! You’re here!” Veronica yelled. “Just in time for some girl-only photos!”

Betty smiled at Jughead across the room before being yanked away for endless poses and positionings. Eventually, it seemed as if they were finished and Betty breathed a sigh of relief only to find her best friend flagging over the boys, apparently for round two of their session.

Jughead lumbered over to her, uncharacteristically dressed in a well-fitted suit, suspenders worn properly.

“You look…” he trailed off, smiling and shaking his head, Betty smiling at his praise.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she smiled back, face heating up as he placed a light kiss at the corner of her mouth before producing a corsage to slip on her wrist.

Their friends were already in place for pictures, Veronica posed in front of Archie, Josie with Reggie, Cheryl with Toni, Moose with Midge, and Kevin with Fangs. Ethel and Dilton’s parents wouldn’t allow them to attend the pre-party where they were sure debauchery would occur. Little did they know that Reggie already had a plan to spike the punch at the actual dance. 

They took a few traditional photos and a few goofy ones with the boys hoisting up the girls, and a few kissing their dates. Out of the group, at least three couples were already set to officially take part in the upcoming mating ceremony. A thousand camera flashes later and it was time to head to the dance, a car taking them all from the lodge. 

The dance itself started off smoothly. The pack couples had all reserved a table together, blending in among their human counterparts. Archie and Veronica walked in and had immediately gotten lost on the dance floor with Josie and Reggie. Betty wasn’t sure they’d stop for the rest of the night. As for herself, she felt quite content and warm. Jughead hadn’t removed his arm from her since photos ended. Whether it was on her hip, lower back, knee, or draped across her shoulders, his fingers were constantly rubbing at the smooth satin of her dress.

He came to stand behind her, leaving a trail of kisses on her bare shoulder. “Want to dance, Betts?”

Betty grinned up at him, turning in his arms and placing a hand against his chest. “ I do. But I didn’t think you danced, Jug.”

He shrugged before taking her hand and pulling her out onto the dance floor. “Well, I’ve never had you to dance with before.”

They swayed to a slow song, Betty’s head coming to rest against his chest, his chin atop her head.

“It’s weird to think that this prom is the biggest thing on the minds of ninety percent of the people here and then some of us are basically getting married this week and preparing to lead a pack of supernatural beasts,” he chuckled. “Life must be so simple for humans. No wonder they get tangled up in so much drama just to make things interesting.”

“Are you saying that if the Kardashians were werewolves their lives would be more tame?” Betty joked, giggling at the thought.

“There’s nothing a good run in the woods can’t fix, Betts,” he replied, pulling her closer.

Betty sighed against his chest and inhaled his unique scent. She could pick him out of a room of ten-thousand people if she had to. 

“I’m just relieved we can  _ finally  _ stop keeping at least  _ one _ secret after this week. It’s been so much to worry about and juggle for so long.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed I to her hair. “Just five more days and you will be my wife… my mate for life. Then no more secrets.”

“I’m excited about the mating part,” Betty smiled devilishly.

“What about the wife part?” he asked, feigning shock.

“Meh,” she shrugged, dodging as his fingers tickled her ribs.

“Gross,” Cheryl blanched out with a roll of her eyes as she and Toni danced nearby. “Control yourself, Jones. It took two hours worth of cover-up to hide those hickeys you left all over sweet Betty Cooper recently.”

Before he could drop out a sarcastic retort, a pained howl sounded from the front of the school. Many of the other students stopped dancing for a moment and stared, only to start laughing and howling back at the top of their lungs. The rest of the pack members exchanged glances and bolted outside, only to find Dilton Doily sans his tuxedo, crying in front of the Riverdale High School sign on his hands and knees.

“Doily?” Reggie called, approaching him slowly. “Are you okay man? Are you hurt? Where’s Ethel?”

His sobs continued to shake his body and were so fierce they almost didn’t hear the other set of tears, silently pouring onto the front steps of the school.

“Ethel,” Betty cried, running over to her side with the rest of the girls at her heels.

Ethel had been wearing a blue, high-necked dress, the top now torn and splattered with fresh blood

“You’re bleeding, Ethel,” Toni said softly. “Are you alright? Can I take a look?”

Ethel flinched as they approached, drawing back into herself. Toni slowed her steps before tentatively kneeling beside her and reaching for her again.

This time Ethel conceded, still too distraught to speak. Pulling back the fabric, Toni gasped as she revealed a crescent moon bite mark on Ethel’s neck, a spot reserved for a mate’s mark.

“Ethel, did Dilton… did Dilton do this to you?” Cheryl asked angrily. “Did he mark you against your will?”

At her words Ethel began to cry louder, leaning into Toni for support who wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight. 

“Hey, it’s going to be alright,” Toni said softly, running a hand up and down her back. “Everything will turn out fine.”

Betty glanced across the grass at Jughead who had remained with Dilton and the guys. He squinted his eyes in question and Betty answered him silently through their connection.

_ “Dilton gave her a mate’s mark,” _ Betty explained.  _ “I don’t think it was planned or ever discussed. Ethel is beside herself.” _

Jughead growled in anger and yanked Dilton up off of the ground, holding him about two-feet above the grass.

“Don’t hurt him!” Ethel yelled suddenly, prying herself away from Toni and hurtling down the steps towards where the guys stood. “It’s not what you think.”

“What I think is that he marked you outside of the ceremony and you don’t seem to be happy about it,” Jughead seethed. “Care to clarify!”

“Just… just put him down,” she begged. “I’ll explain.”

Jughead eyed Dilton warily one more time before lowering his shaking body to the ground again.

Ethel took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes, her makeup all but gone by that point. “Dilton and I were dancing and having a great night. The gym got really hot so we just came out to get some air. He- he told me he’s always liked me but was too nervous to say anything. Then he leaned over to kiss me. One second we were kissing and then… then it was like he couldn’t control himself. Before I could blink he was shifting and howling and his teeth sank into me. Maybe it’s the alcohol? I swear someone spiked that punch…”

A ton of dirty looks flew in Reggie’s direction as he ran his hand through his hair and pretended not to notice.

“I’m  _ so _ sorry, Ethel,” Dilton cried. “I didn’t plan… I don’t know what came over me. I’ve always been drawn to you, but once we kissed I  _ knew _ you were my mate for sure and it’s like my body reacted.”

Jughead sighed. “The damage is done, I’m afraid. Why don’t you two head over to the lodge? I’ll call my dad and fill him in and he can talk to you about what happens next.”

Dilton nodded and glanced over at Ethel who graciously offered him her hand. Jughead thought she was much too forgiving all things considered, but it wasn’t his place to say.

“Doily is always ruining a perfectly good time,” Reggie sighed as they walked away, recoiling from the icy look Josie tossed his way.

“What?” he cried out as she turned away from him and walked back into the dance.

“You’re such a moron, Reg,” Moose said with a shake of his head, grabbing Midge by the hand and heading back inside as well.

Cheryl and Toni were hoping to be crowned prom queens together and it wasn’t a moment they were willing to miss. Veronica and Archie also weren’t ready to call it a night.

“You guys coming?” Archie asked Betty and Jughead? 

Jughead looked over at Betty, silently telling her it was her call. Betty shook her head and shrugged at her friend.

“Someone should probably go check on Ethel and Dilton,” Betty said regretfully. “You guys have fun.”

When their friends were back inside the school building, Jughead turned to Betty with a devious grin. “We aren’t really going to the lodge yet, are we?”

“And hear your father rain misery down on Dilton for the next hour?” Betty laughed. “No, thank you. I was done with the whole prom scene though and just wanted to spend some time with you.”

“Come on,” he directed, pulling her along. “Come with me.”

They walked through the forest for a while before she realized he was headed to their old favorite swimming spot, the one they frequented during the summer as children. It was quiet at this hour and a peaceful escape from the noise and chaos of the dance. Slipping off their shoes, they found a spot on the end of the old, rickety wooden deck that FP had built, dipping their feet into the warm water below.

“It’s almost midnight,” Jughead excitedly. 

“Does your tux turn back into plaid or a pumpkin?” she teased, nudging his foot with her own.

“Something like that,” he flirted. “My soulmate officially becomes of mating age in fifteen minutes and I was wondering if there’s anything childish she’d like to do before she’s an adult and teetering on the precipice of co-running a pack.”

Betty bit her lip and raised an eyebrow at his question. She wasn’t sure if he was teasing or if it was a challenge, but she was feeling uncharacteristically light and full of mirth all week and decided to play along.

Standing up, she deftly unzipped the silk dress and let it drop to the ground. With a bold look in his direction, she shed her undergarments before diving into the swimming hole, resurfacing a few feet away.

“Coming, Cinderella?” she dared him, treading water as she drifted farther from the shore.

He let out a low chuckle that sounded more dangerous than humorous before he began to strip down, joining her in the water, diving and resurfacing in front of her.

Betty swam forward and linked her arms around his neck, shivering a bit when her shoulders hit the night air before he bent to submerge them further into the pool.

“You’re not going to pull a Dilton on me, are you?” Betty asked.

Jughead looked appalled and frowned at her giggle. “I have way more self-control than that pipsqueak.”

They swayed in the water for a while, nervously smiling at each other, both afraid to make any move. 

“You looked beautiful tonight,” he blurted out suddenly. “I know I said that already. At least I think I did. If I didn’t, I meant to. I just-”

“Thank you, Juggie.” She smiled shyly at his nervous babbling. 

“You reminded me of Luna, Roman goddess and embodiment of the moon,” he spoke softly, fingertips running up and down her back.

“Do you think comparing me to a goddess is going to get you lucky?” she whispered, goosebumps rising across her neck and shoulders.

He ignored her question and continued, dipping his hand onto her lower back and his lips to her ears. “You know the Romans believed that Luna controlled all aspects of their life. She loved deeply, too. In fact, she loved a man who slept deeply and for a long time. She came down from the heavens every night to watch him sleep and protect him.”

“And you think I love this deeply? Or that I control you?” she asked, confused.

“I think I love you that deeply and that you love me the same way,” he shrugged. “I know I should be focused on being Alpha, but all I think about is you and how in a few days from now we get to begin forever together… to protect each other.” 

He pushed her back lightly, holding up a finger signaling her to wait a moment and swam over to the shore where he had left his clothes. Rustling through his pockets, he came back with a small box in hand, holding it out of the water so it didn’t get wet.

“What’s this, Jug?” she asked, eyes twinkling with excitement.

“It’s after midnight now,” he said, holding out the package. “Happy birthday, Betts.”

Jughead wrapped an arm around her waist to support her so she could use both hands to open the package. Lifting the lid, she found a small pendant on a chain inside, a glowing image of the moon.

“It’s an exact replica of the moon on a certain date. You’re supposed to get a birthday or something, but this is the moon the night you first shifted. The night we marked. This way you can wear it with you and always remember that even though I’m Alpha and you’re Lumina, first and foremost, we are soulmates.”

He took the chain from the box and fastened it around her neck, tossing the box back onto the shore just a moment before she wrapped her hands in his hair, pulling his lips to her own and her legs around his waist.

They bobbed in the water, tongues softly gliding against one another until both of their hands drifted under the water’s edge, touching and exploring new territory on each other's bodies. Foreheads pressed together, and though in their human forms, their cries into the night were more like howls.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... I think you all know what happens in this chapter.
> 
> ❤️ and thanks to @jandjsalmon for her serious beta skills and just general awesomeness.

**Spellman House**

**Greendale**

**July 2019**

Though there was a spread of food large enough to fill a banquet hall, Betty hadn’t touched a single crumb. Alice, Hilda, Zelda, and Sabrina sat around the long table and Alice was braiding Betty’s hair in one long plait down her back in preparation for the ceremony that night.

“Betty, love, you haven’t eaten a single thing,” Zelda scolded her. “How do you expect to make it through the night?”

“...and what a long night it will be,” Sabrina cackled, tossing back a few snap peas and waggling her eyebrows at a blushing Betty.

“Sabrina,” Alice scolded, narrowing her eyes. “Please, I know you witches are more… loose about these things, but Betty is nervous enough already.”

“You humans are  _ so  _ uptight about virginity,” Sabrina blanched with a roll of her eyes.

“I remember the night I lost my virginity,” Zelda smiled, taking a drag of her cigarette. “Stuart Constant. He was  _ so  _ handsome and  _ so so _ good. Now there was a man. Not like these wishy-washy fellows today.”

“Ohh, he was a looker,” Hilda chuckled as she peeled more potatoes where she sat. “It was Phil Hubert for me. Eh… not so memorable to be honest, but he was nice enough. I scorched his eyebrows off the first time I… well you know. Well, you don’t I guess, Betty. Not until tonight.”

Betty sipped on her glass of water as Alice yanked at her hair. “Could we… could we maybe talk about something else?”

“Oh c’mon Betty,” Sabrina teased. “It’s not like you’re going to a giant party solely for the purpose of losing your virginity tonight to a wolf with Alpha prowess who won’t be able to resist all his innate instincts. You know, I heard Alphas often subdue you and-”

“Sabrina,” Alice warned again, squeezing Betty’s shoulder. “It’s alright, Betty. I’m sure Jughead will be quite gentle. If not, your basic wolf instincts should compensate. Plus, once he bites you the soulmate bond will connect you to his lust, so there will be that as well.”

“Jesus, Mom,” Betty cried, yanking her hair from her hand. “Let’s talk about anything else. Anything.”

“Are you on birth control?” Sabrina asked suddenly. “Because I heard Alphas can go ten times in the span of hours if they are  _ really _ worked up…”

“Sabrina, I swear,” Betty cursed, standing up, only to have Alice yank her back down by her braid.

“Lumina’s aren’t technically allowed birth control,” Zelda explained quietly to Sabrina, waving a hand in the air flippantly as if it was no big deal. “They are duty-bound to breed.”

“That’s barbaric!” Sabrina exclaimed, her mouth open in shock.

“Yes, well, that’s part of why we’re here first,” Hilda smiled, walking to the counter and grabbing a tiny tray of fifteen vials. “I made you a potion dear. An anti-fertility potion. It works on weres and witches alike. I only had time to brew this batch, but I’ll make a good amount more this week. This should last you until then.”

Betty made no move to take anything, so Alice reached out and grabbed a vial for her, uncapping the lid and holding it out to her. Betty’s hands shook as she reached forward to take the bottle and Alice smiled warmly at her. With the skill of a pro, she tossed her head back and took the tiny shot, wincing at the awful taste as it burned down her throat.

Alice cleared her throat and wrinkled up her forehead and the Spellman’s took the hint, standing and making excuses for urgent matters they had suddenly remembered needing tending to.

“I just remembered Father Blackwood needed me to consult on an issue,” Zelda said firmly.

“I need to tend the garden,” Hilda said sweetly. “Those tomatoes, and zucchini, and salmon, errr… right.”

“I… need to walk my goldfish?” Sabrina shrugged, winking at Betty before she left.

Truthfully, Betty was grateful to see everyone go. The day was already overwhelming enough. She felt Alice tie the elastic at the bottom of her hair before standing up and coming to sit in front of her, tilting her chin up to look at her.

“You do know that if you tell Jughead you aren’t ready, or that you’re nervous, he won’t make you do anything you aren’t ready for, Betty,” Alice said softly. “I think from what I’ve seen at the McCoy’s, you two have been ready for a while, but if that’s not the case, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I know that, Mom,” Betty said softly, trying to tilt down her chin, but Alice’s grip held firm. “It’s just awkward that the entire pack is talking about me…”

Betty blushed and her words trailed off. Alice placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her into her chest.

“Don’t think of the pack. Tonight you essentially marry your soulmate,” Alice soothed into the crown of her head. “You are so lucky to have that connection. You’ll see that it won’t be as bad as you think.”

Betty became quiet and introspective for a moment, fiddling with the end of her braid. With a wistful gaze, she looked out the window over her shoulder, staring into the forest beyond.

“What?” Alice prodded gently. “What is it? Are you worried about the pain because-”

“It’s Polly, mom,” Betty said softly, her words dripping with sadness. “She should be here with us. She should be teasing me about my first time, not Sabrina. And I should be asking her all the little things I’m too embarrassed to ask you. We should have been able to have this moment for her and she should be here for me.”

Alice looked up towards the ceiling and sniffed, licking her lips before pulling the top one into her mouth, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “She should be. But she’s not, Betty, and that is no fault of yours. You can’t dwell on that tonight because tonight isn’t about Polly, or me, or the pack. Tonight is about you and Jughead and the beautiful, love-filled life you are about to begin. You let me worry about Polly and you just focus on your mate and how much that boy loves you, alright?”

“Thanks, Mom,” Betty sighed, offering her a tight embrace. Feeling some of the nerves leave her body, she glanced at the clock off to the side. Only seven more hours to go.

**Serpent Lodge**

The girls all congregated in one room at first. Veronica, Cheryl, Toni, and Ethel, along with two older girls from the pack would be matched in the ceremony tonight. Betty could only assume that Ethel must have been as drawn to Dilton as a mate as he was to her since she didn’t seem unhappy she was there. At least she’d stop making eyes at Jughead now, hopefully.

While Betty and Jughead were a special case, some other members could smell and sense their mate, drawn to them from early on. Usually, the intense draw and need didn’t arise until sixteen or later. Her friends were lucky their mate was in their pack and their grade. This wasn’t always the case. 

“Alright, girls,” Penelope called. “Time to prepare for your pack tattoos. We’ll discuss the rest of the night then.”

Tonight was not just the mating ceremony, but also marked the evening where all eighteen-year-old members received their pack tattoos. Their friends who chose not to mate tonight would still participate in the celebrations, receiving their paw prints as well.

They were all ushered into a room with a large pool for soaking. Though it had bubbles in it, it looked more like it was made for swimming. The girls all happily began to dip into the warm water, relaxing back against the sides as if it were a spa day.

“Betty, you can come with me,” Penelope smiled.

Betty frowned and glanced back at her friends. “Can’t I stay here with everyone else?”

Penelope pursed her lips and looked at Betty sympathetically before softening her posture just a bit. “Let me talk to the Alpha and see what we can do.”

Betty smiled gratefully and sighed in relief. She had enough special treatment and lecturing for one day. She just wanted to relax with her friends and laugh a bit before the night began. She waited by the door for a while before Penelope came back and gestured for Betty to step into the hallway.

“Hey, Betty,” FP smiled. “I see Alice already did your hair. She always was a masterful braider.”

“Yeah, she did it this afternoon when we went to visit Hilda and Zelda,” Betty explained.

FP nodded. “Good. Good, I’m glad. They uh, made what you needed, right?”

Betty flushed crimson again. After how many times she had blushed today she wondered if her skin would ever return to normal again.

“I have everything I need,” Betty said simply.

“Good,” FP repeated again. “Listen, I can work it so you can stay with the girls for a while, you just need to visit the adult women in the pack a bit later for a few things. Also, just remember if you stay, you will have a lot of questions to answer. There’s no concealing what you’ve been hiding today since it will need to be visible tonight.”

Betty swallowed and nodded back. “Maybe it’s for the best. There will already be a lot of questions and I’d probably be inundated by the girls tomorrow anyway.”

FP pulled her into a quick hug, squeezing her tight against his chest. “We probably won’t get a chance to talk alone again before tonight so I just wanted to say welcome to the family officially, kiddo. Jug is a lucky guy and by default, so am I.”

“Thanks, FP,” Betty said, voice thick with emotion. “I’m really lucky, too.”

Uncomfortable with extended affection, FP let go and sauntered backward, giving her an awkward wave goodbye. Betty went back into the pool room and Penelope linked arms, dragging her over to the water.

“We are so lucky to have him as Alpha,” Penelope gushed. “It’s rare to find someone dominant and kind at the same time. I’m glad you can get ready with the girls. The pack women are  _ such  _ gossips.”

As Betty untied the sash, her white swimsuit underneath like the other girls, Penelope gasped and shot her shocked eyes up at Betty.

“Is that-”

Betty nodded, nervously chewing at her lower lip as all her friends turned to stare at her.

“But how?” Penelope asked breathlessly. “You would have had to have it this whole time?”

“The Spellmans,” Betty said quickly, unable to reveal her fae heritage. “They’ve been helping with concealing spells since I was thirteen.”

Her friends remained silent. Betty was unsure if they were angry, stunned, or just being respectful while Penelope spoke. She hoped it was the latter.

“I can understand why you had to keep this a secret,” Penelope finally agreed. “It could have sparked jealousy and been dangerous for you. Alice and FP were right to protect you. Can I?” she asked, gesturing towards the mark as Betty nodded yes.

Penelope touched it gently as if she were in awe. Betty had heard that back in her younger days she was a formidable and fierce woman to deal with, but after her mate passed on, she had mellowed out a great deal.

“This is wonderful news for our pack,” she smiled suddenly. “You and our future Alpha will be a strong pair, able to communicate and heal. We are blessed.”

Squeezing her shoulder Penelope finally let her go and Betty eased down into the water amidst the stares of her friends. When Penelope left the room, they finally spoke.

“What the actual fuck, Betty?” Veronica blasted. “You’ve been marked as Jughead’s soulmate for five years. Five  _ whole  _ years and we had no idea. I feel as stupid as a side of beef.”

“No one was meant to know, V,” Betty shrugged apologetically. “FP demanded it was kept a secret since people might take issue with Jughead mating with a half-breed. He was worried for my safety. He was also worried that if surrounding packs heard they may try something to prevent our bond from happening. I  _ wanted _ to tell you guys. I wanted to tell you every day. It wasn’t easy for us pretending we weren’t in love this whole time, you know.”

While Veronica’s brow was still creased in anger, Toni’s face softened considerably while Cheryl still looked stunned.

“Hey, it’s alright, Betty,” Toni assured her. “This couldn’t have been easy for you. I can’t imagine not being able to hold Cheryl’s hand or go on dates that whole time. It must have been really serious for the Alpha to ask that of you.”

Betty smiled gratefully at Toni and offered her a hand squeeze across the tub.

“It wasn’t easy,” Betty laughed. “I was sure we would slip at some point and we did last month when Jughead threw Chuck clear across the room. But by then we were so close to tonight that we just decided to play the mate card as if it happened suddenly or we’d been repressing it.”

Cheryl finally tuned back into the land of the living just in time to bring her own, special brand of life into the conversation.

“So, is it true what they say about Alphas?” she asked with a quirk of her eyebrow. “Are they really gifted in the pants department? Well endowed? Oversized power tool? It seems so at pack training but…”

“Cheryl!” Betty cried, pretending to be embarrassed but secretly grateful that Cheryl broke the tension as all the girls were laughing now.

“That wasn’t rhetorical, Betty,” she pressed. “Most Alphas screw around when their mate is gone and ours does not. I’ve always been curious if that particular tidbit is fact or fiction.”

Five sets of twinkling eyes stared back at her in anticipation and Betty decided what the hell and went all-in with her chatter.

“Fact,” she smiled. “Definitely not a myth.”

“And have you…?” Veronica asked, trailing off, surprised when Betty shook her head.

“No. Not all the way,” Betty said softly. “We couldn’t. It needs to happen when he finishes the Lumina mark… tonight.”

“Oh, Betty,” Cheryl grinned. “You do know that when the boys mark you, women feel an outpouring of love and the men feel an outpouring of lust. Your Alpha is going to devour you tonight.”

With her mother and the Spellmans, Betty was reluctant to chat, but in truth, she had been dying to confide in her friends for years.

“I’m a little nervous, but honestly, after five years, I may devour  _ him _ ,” Betty retorted, leaving the girls whooping and cackling as they soaked. Suddenly curious, she turned to Cheryl and Toni. “How does it work for you guys and Kevin? Who marks who?”

Toni grabbed Cheryl’s hand and smiled brightly. “Cheryl and I will exchange the mate’s vows, but can’t actually mark. That’s why most packs won’t allow it. If we bite each other, the mark will heal, unlike yours. Your mark will remain permanently. Fang’s is older, so he will mark Kevin. Chauvinistic werewolf god’s only gave men that power, but Cheryl and I are getting bite mark tattoos next week.”

Just then, Penelope returned and they silenced their giggles. 

“Alright, girls,” she said excitedly, and a bit emotionally. “Time to get your white gowns on and head downstairs for the pack tattoos. Betty, you’re needed in your new chambers for just a bit. Then you can join the others.”

Betty nodded and tied her robe over her swimsuit, waving to her friends before heading down to Jughead’s room-  _ their  _ room now. Penelope followed behind her. Betty wasn’t sure if she was  _ required  _ to tend to her today or if she was coming to squash questions about the soulmark visible on her chest.

When she entered the room, most of the more prominent women of the pack were present, including Sierra and Hermione. Betty was comforted by the familiar faces. 

“Betty,” Sierra smiled. “Big day today. How are you feeling?”

Betty sighed and glanced around the room. It had been decorated with candles and flowers and various jars of oils sat on the nightstand. 

“I’m okay,” Betty replied. “Just a little anxious and a bit tired.”

“We won’t keep you long,” Hermione smiled. “We are just responsible for getting you dressed and made up. Nothing painful, we promise.”

“We asked your mate what he wanted,” Nora Miller, a mother of a wolf on the council replied. “He was less than helpful. He said to let you smell how you usually smell and wear your makeup however you want.”

Betty smiled, glad he was his usual self today. “That sounds very much like him,” she replied, sitting down in front of the vanity before shaking off her robe, her bathing suit still a bit damp beneath.

Gasps could be heard all around the room except from Penelope and Sierra.

“Right,” Betty nodded. “Forgot. That’s a shock for everyone. Well, um, surprise?”

There were tons of questions and Betty had to explain their story yet again. She had a feeling that would be happening a lot that week. After about fifteen minutes of questions, prep finally got underway.

Her skin was oiled, minus a square patch where her tattoo would go, and iridescent makeup was used to draw runes of their pack representing the moon right on her breastbone. The paint remained a barely-there shade of green but would glow in the light of the full moon that night. 

There were countless jewelry choices, but Hermione and Sierra argued she should keep on the necklace from Jughead once they learned of its significance. Sierra finally won that argument when she said a lucky talisman would increase fertility. She then winked at Betty as if to say, “I’ve got your back.”

Flowers were added to her braid and a light silver headpiece with a dangling moon rune was added on top, coming to rest in the center of her forehead. She had seen FP wear a similar, more masculine headpiece at formal events and while the crown was light, she felt the weight of its meaning. Her makeup was kept simple otherwise, with just a hint of mascara and a light pink lip at Betty’s request.

Her white dress for later was clad in a bag and she went into the bathroom to put on new undergarments and a cotton robe, now ready to join her friends for her tattoo.

“You look stunning,” Sierra smiled. “I’m so happy for you both. You really are going to make a wonderful team.”

Betty hugged her and whispered thanks, not just for that day, but for everything they had done for her, before following Penelope down to the main hall where everyone gathered. 

When the main doors opened and she walked in, everyone stood immediately. Betty stopped and looked behind her, confused at the display, until she felt a hand on hers, tugging her forward.

“It’s a show of respect,” Jughead said softly, smiling down at her. “They are embracing you as their future Lumina and showing a willingness to follow us when the time comes.”

Betty swallowed down a large lump in her throat before following the tug of his hand to two chairs, stationed a bit higher above the rest. She noticed that he hadn’t started his tattoo yet.

“You haven’t gotten your print done,” she frowned. “I figured everyone would be halfway done by now.”

“I waited for you,” he shrugged, fingering the bottom of her braid. “You look beautiful. I can’t wait to see you all lit up in the moonlight tonight.”

Betty flushed at his praise. She knew he was confident in his role in the future, but he had also been so confident and direct with her since they officially started dating and she didn’t hate it.

“You look good, too,” she grinned, eyes tracing up his chest. 

Two pack members, a male and female, approached then, equipment in hand. “Are you both ready?” they asked.

“Yes,” Jughead said firmly. Betty simply nodded in consent and braced for the pain. 

“Ours will be different,” Jughead explained, watching Betty look around the room. “They all have black prints, but ours will be a deeper green, like my father’s.”

“His tattoo is beautiful,” she smiled. “I’m honored to share it.”

By now the room was abuzz in gossip, Betty having revealed her soulmark when she shed her robe. Luckily, her friends were doing a good enough job sharing details and she was far enough away from the crowd where no one could ask her anything else directly about it.

Soon the buzz of the needle droned out the buzz of the room. It stung quite a bit actually, but Jughead held her hand and they both remained stoic, staring out over the room and periodically exchanging soft, loving glances with each other. He ran his thumb over her knuckles, brushing back and forth softly, smirking at her as he did so. He was enjoying sending visions of what he had planned for them after the ceremony back at the packhouse through their connection. Every so often Betty would squeak out a small sound that could be interpreted as pain from the tattoo. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

All told, the outline and fill in took about an hour. Most of their friends were finished before they were, but as instructed, remained seated and quiet until at last they were finished and all the equipment was packed up and taken away.

When the last artist had left, FP entered the room and came to stand behind where Betty and Jughead were seated. 

“Congratulations,” he smiled at them all. “As adults, you are now full-fledged members of our pack. You are able to assume positions and leadership roles and we do strongly encourage you to do so. I know you all. I have known you since you were pups. And I’m so excited to have such intelligent and fierce men and women in our pack.”

Howls and hoots, shouts and hollers chorused through the room.

“Tonight also marks another significant event for many of you. The mating ceremony. Those of you who have met your mates are blessed, and those of you who have not yet, don’t get discouraged. Your time will come. For now, let’s head out to the ceremony ground, eat, drink, and celebrate. Soon, we will begin our rites and also anoint a new future Alpha and Lumina into our pack.”

FP vacated the steps and headed out of the lodge, everyone following behind him in a flock. Betty and the girls donned the white tube dresses they had been provided for the night before following as well, their mates waiting to escort them to the clearing.

“My father has made an announcement to the pack members that they may see something shocking shortly and that he would explain himself, not to question us. He assumed you were already tired of the questions,” Jughead whispered into her ear as they walked.

“Have I mentioned how much I love your Dad?” Betty said, her shoulders feeling light. “It’s bad enough they are all staring.”

“I mean, they could be staring because you look gorgeous,” Jughead offered. “That would be my guess.”

“Smooth talker,” she smiled back. “It’s already a mating ceremony, Jug. You don’t have to butter me up. We both know how tonight ends.”

“Do we?” he teased, sidestepping behind her and nipping at her shoulder. “Care to enlighten me with a description of how it ends? Very vivid, no holds barred, please.”

He sidestepped again quickly to avoid the slap she sent his way.

When they reached the clearing, Betty gasped. The set up was much more elaborate than usual, no doubt since a future Alpha was taking a mate this time. White picnic tables were scattered everywhere and white lanterns and lights hung from the trees all around the clearing making a fiery circle around them. A raised platform was stationed in the middle of the field, providing a good view from all angles.

“It looks amazing,” Betty whispered as Jughead pulled her towards the food. 

“Come on,” he chuckled into her ear. “I bet you haven’t eaten much today. Let’s go get some food and hang out with everyone for a bit. You’re going to need your strength later.”

They mingled for a long while, trying to just enjoy the night as they dodged glances from pack members ogling their soulmarks. Betty felt like a caged zoo animal, being cataloged and studied by everyone around them, but Jughead paid them no mind. She assumed he was used to excess attention his whole life.

After eating, Betty indulged in a rare drink. She never engaged in drinking in any of the woods parties kids threw in high school. Alcohol wasn’t really frowned upon underage amongst the pack as they had a higher tolerance, but she always was worried about losing control and outing one of her many secrets. Jughead didn’t drink much either. Tonight when he handed her a glass of Prosecco and had his own glass of whiskey, she knew that despite his outward exterior he was on edge as much as she was and that made her feel better about things.

Their friends sat in a circle in the grass and Betty laid back against Jughead’s chest, stretching her legs out and bracing her arms on his bent knees. 

“I can’t believe you guys spent five years having to avoid doing… that. Just simple things like cuddling at a picnic or something,” Veronica said, still astonished. “It seems so unfair.”

“Forget doing that,” Cheryl scoffed. “How about the fact that they couldn’t fu-”

“Things aren’t always fair, but I get Juggie as a soulmate, so if you look at it that way, it’s a pretty fair trade-off,” Betty interrupted, tilting her chin to smile up at him and accepting the kiss he pressed against her lips.

“I don’t know, man,” Archie breathed out in disbelief. “You’re a better man than me. I couldn’t handle that kind of restraint.”

Jughead tossed a stray pine cone at his friend and laughed when it clunked him on the head. “And that, my friend, is why I get to be Alpha.”

As their laughter died, they heard a ruckus from across the field near the platform. 

“I swear it was a joke!” Jim Rear laughed nervously as FP glared down at him. “I meant nothing by it. Honestly.”

“A joke? A fucking joke?” FP snarled, the vein in his neck bulging out the side, pulsating in anger. “Well, I’ve been told I have a fucking fantastic sense of humor and I can’t find a lick of humor in what you said.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, falling back to the ground as FP strode forward, unable to contain himself any longer and shifting into his wolf form. 

Snarling and snapping, he stood over Jim who was too petrified to stand and began scrambling backward on the grass. If FP had wanted to, he could have ripped his throat out, but that wasn’t his goal here. Once Jim gathered his footing and ran off, FP stared out at the rest of the pack fiercely, snarling and howling again to assert his dominance, standing up on his hind legs.

Alice approached him slowly, placing a hand on his back as he snapped and growled. In her arms, she held a robe and new clothes. He paced for a moment before shifting back, gratefully accepting the robe Alice had offered before clambering onto the platform.

“Does anyone else have any comments they’d like to make about their future Alpha or Lumina?” he screamed wildly into the crowd. “If so, I’d be happy to show you the way out and it won’t be through a door. There. Will. Be. Respect!”

No one dared to breathe a word or make a sound as FP scanned the pack. His point was clear. Jim was a loaf of a guy and probably was drunk and joking around, but his insubordination needed to be dealt with to make a public statement. When no arguments were raised, FP nodded and reached out to Alice for the new clothing she held.

“Good,” he barked out. “Good. Penelope, let the mating ritual begin.”

Flustered at the sudden start, but unwilling to upset FP further, Penelope began to flag the couples onto the platform, having the men change into robes so they wouldn’t tear their clothes while shifting.

She positioned each of the six couples across the platform, all facing their mate and holding hands. In front of each of them, she lit a silver candle, symbolizing moonlight and coming full circle together.

“Good evening, everyone,” Penelope finally smiled. “Tonight we have two exciting ceremonies to perform. We recognize and solidify the connection some of our younger pack members wish to make eternal, and we unite a future Alpha and his Lumina as well. We are truly blessed under this full moon.”

When she was done addressing the pack, she turned toward the platform.

“Females, please, remain holding your mate’s hands and repeat after me.”

“I come here tonight before the mother moon, open and willing to begin my new life. I promise to honor and protect my mate and raise my pups in accordance with the Serpent Pack laws.”

When they were done echoing her words, she addressed the men, repeating the same promise and had them echo it back.

“Very good! Well then, Veronica Lodge and Archibald Andrews, would you please step forward.”

Still holding hands, they approached a rounded portion at the front of the platform. She took Veronica lightly by the shoulder and positioned her to kneel in the center and moved Archie directly behind her, sweeping Veronica's hair to the side. 

“Veronica,” Penelope asked. “Do you come here tonight without force, of your own accord, choosing to mate with Archibald Andrews today and every day henceforth, until that bond is broken by death?”

“I do,” Veronica said softly.

“And Archibald, do you come here tonight with honorable intentions towards your mate, love in your heart, and a willingness to treat her as your partner, your equal in life for today and every day henceforth, until that bond is broken by death?”

“I do,” Archie said, smiling.

Penelope couldn’t help but grin back. “Then make your bond known, by placing your mark upon her.”

At her words, Archie shifted into his red-furred wolf counterpart and, leaning forward, bit Veronica between her neck and shoulder, leaving a crescent moon shaped mark to be seen before howling up at the moon. Gently, he licked her wound clean before shifting back into his human form, pulling Veronica up to kiss her quickly and slipping his robe back on.

Penelope followed suit with each remaining couple, a slight variation to the ceremony for Toni and Cheryl, until each pair was officially bonded, before sending them off into the crowd. Normally, they’d sneak off to mate, and some did, but much to their own chagrin, their close friends stuck around to watch Betty and Jughead’s ceremony.

When the platform was reset, a circle of candles encompassed the front of the platform along with white cushions covered with lilies. Betty and Jughead waited off to the side as instructed before, anticipation and nerves coursing through them.

_ “It will be done before you know it,”  _ he told her silently, his own stomach all a twitter from her nerves.  _ “I love you.” _

Betty smiled up at him and squeezed his hand.  _ “Love you, too.” _

FP came to escort Jughead onto the platform while Alice escorted Betty. As soon as she was under the direct moonlight, the painted runes on her chest began to glow.

They stood facing the pack, FP’s hand on Jughead’s shoulder and Alice holding both of Betty’s.

“Tonight we celebrate the mating of your future Alpha and his future Lumina, not just in choice, but in fate. They share a bond. A bond that the moon bestowed upon them five years ago. They are not just mates, but soulmates; sharing an unspoken connection and healing bond. They will breed the future leader of our pack if our mother moon will allow it and they will lead us when my time to step down comes. Join me now as we bless their union.”

The pack members rose from wherever they sat and came to kneel in front of the platform.

“Betty, Jughead, repeat after me. I come here tonight before the mother moon, open and willing to begin my new life. I promise to honor and protect my mate and this pack to the best of my abilities, never straying from its best interest. I promise to breed future leaders and prepare them for what is to come.”

They repeated their first set of vows and then FP drew Jughead to stand behind Betty. Gently Jughead’s hands lifted up her dress to expose her belly before resting around her and over her stomach, FP and Alice now off to the side as Hermione moved front and center. Placing a hand next to Jughead’s, she spoke, the pack bowing their heads as she did so.

“Mother Moon, we ask for your blessing to be bestowed tonight and each night on this union. Bless them with abundant fertility and may they be fruitful filling our pack with strong Alpha blood. Fill our Lumina’s womb and ensure our pack’s future.”

Removing her hand, Hermione smiled at them before rejoining the rest of the pack. Alice and FP returned again to bring them into the center of the candle ring, atop the pillows and flowers where they both kneeled, facing each other.

“Betty,” FP asked. “Do you come here tonight without force of your own accord, choosing to mate with Forsythe Jones, the future Alpha, today and every day henceforth, bound to carry his Alpha offspring, until that bond is broken by death?”

“I do,” Betty said trembling.

“And Forsythe, do you come here tonight with honorable intentions towards your mate, love in your heart, and a willingness to treat her as your partner, your equal in life for today and every day henceforth, until that bond is broken by death?”

“I do,” Jughead said happily, squeezing Betty’s hands.

FP raised an arm and the pack rose from their knees as Penelope and Hermione passed out candles to each member. They lit them one by one and lined both sides of the platform in a pathway back to the packhouse.

_ “Here we go,” _ Jughead said silently.  _ “Time to get a Jughead Jones original.” _

_ “Aren’t I the luckiest,”  _ she teased back.

Jughead moved around to the space behind her and brushed her braid over her shoulder as FP spoke again.

“Then in front of our pack and under this full moon, bestow the first half of the mark on your mate before consummating the bond and completing the mark, signifying her as our future Lumina.”

_ “Love you,” _ he said again, placing a soft kiss where his mark would go, before slinking off his robe and shifting into wolf form, pausing only a moment before sinking his teeth into Betty’s neck, lapping at the wound to control the bleeding.

Whether everyone felt it or just them, they didn’t know, but her heartbeat was in his chest and his in hers. She felt an outpouring of love and lust flow into her and he felt the same, blooming in his chest like a flower bud in spring. As he shifted back, the connection remained. 

Though they were sure there were cheering or yells, they heard nothing. He was aware that his robe was draped over him and he vaguely remembers tying it closed before lifting Betty from the cushions and placing her gently in his arms. Descending the platform, he walked as if pulled by a magnet towards the packhouse, the members filling in behind them as they passed and following them along the way down the path. Betty and Jughead didn’t notice, their pupils wide and gaze only fixed on each other. 

“So much better back in the days of my youth,” Nana Rose could be heard crooning. “A real Alpha would show his stamina and mount her right up there on display, I tell you.”

As the two of them entered the packhouse, FP stopped the pack from following them.

“Back to the party,” he instructed them all, much to the grumbling of some of Jughead’s friends. “The house is closed tonight. Let's give the kids some privacy, eh?”

…..

Jughead carried her to their room and set her down gently on the bed, scooting over to lay down next to her. Someone had apparently been busy during the ceremony as the candles around the room were all lit, casting a soft glow on the walls. 

“Hi there, wolf-wife,” he said confidently.

“Hi,” she whispered back, biting her lip nervously. 

“I’m not sure what all those different oils are for,” he teased to lighten the mood. “But I’ve been told that things tend to get heated and you may need a massage for sore muscles. Either that or past Alphas were into some freaky stuff. ”

Betty giggled and rubbed at his face. “And you?”

“Me? I’m just into you,” he said kissing her chastely, almost shy. “Do you want anything? Some water? Are you hungry?”

Betty shook her head and shimmied over closer to him so they were nose to nose. “Do you think this feels more… heavy or monumental because we are marked. I feel like my chest might explode.”

“I know. I can feel it too,” he agreed. “I’m supposed to be all Alpha charged right now, and don’t get me wrong, I am ready to go. But I also want to just look at you and hold you, too. That  _ has _ to be a soulmate thing. It’s screwing with my Alpha game.”

Betty giggled and traced some of the muscle definition in his arms. “You don’t think all Alphas feel that way on their mating night?”

Jughead rolled his eyes and grimaced. “Please, I got lectured all day about how we are gentlemen in this family and how I needed to be attentive to your needs and careful not to hurt you in my, and I quote, ‘animalistic frenzy.’”

Betty laughed again and pressed a quick kiss to his jaw. 

“Mrs. Andrews was over bringing herbs to my dad at the time and felt the need to detail how I’d know when you were ready to be  _ mounted, as she put it.” _

“Yes, well, I was reminded by the girls that Alphas were well-endowed and you may devour me, by the Spellmans that you may be ready to go ten times before morning, and by my mother that you’d be gentle if I asked. So, I win in the awkward conversations department.”

Jughead grimaced and tugged her braid again. “That you do,” he laughed.

_ “I couldn’t stop looking at you all night,”  _ he shared with her through their connection.

_ “Did you like what you saw?”  _ Betty teased back, not breaking eye contact.

_ “Very much so,”  _ he conveyed, hungrily.

_ “Want to see more?” _ she thought nervously.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, this time aloud, sliding his hand across her jaw, his thumb pulling down on her chin, and kissing her soundly, their conversation finished for now.

One hand slipped down and held her neck while the other rested low on her stomach. He could feel her body trembling and through their connection could sense it was half from nerves and half from excitement. He tried to soothe her with long, slow, delicious kisses, his tongue slowly tangling around hers as his fingertips brushed her face.

With their wiggling against each other, his robe had dislodged a bit and Betty’s shaking fingers pushed it off his shoulders, her breath hitching a bit as she traced her eyes down his body. He dropped his fingers to the hem of her dress and she nodded in consent. Tugging at the bottom, the tube dress easily slid down. He returned to kissing her, his lips coaxing hers into a more heated rhythm as his free hand nimbly divested her of the rest of what she wore.

With nothing between them, he paused to look at her bared to him. Her skin was flushed and her eyes glowed green. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned down to kiss their soulmark completely awestruck, unsure where his confidence was coming from. He could only assume it was Alpha driven.

_ “I think I may need you to take the lead here tonight, Jug. At least the first time,”  _ Betty conveyed to him as she trembled. 

_ “Are you sure, Betts?”  _ he asked her one final time, a growl building deep within his chest.

_ “Please,”  _ she breathed, and then he set in.

His lips started in at her neck with a direct purpose, nipping and kissing down her pulse point on the opposite side of their mate mark as she writhed beneath him. He shifted his body weight over her and felt her sigh and swoon a bit as his hand found her knee and pulled it up over his hip. His fingers traced up her leg and hip and across her stomach before settling against her chest. 

As his hands explored and his lips followed, Betty began to forget her nerves and let her body speak for her, arching up into his hands and clawing at his shoulders. Jughead finally understood the phrase, “Alpha prowess,” as his instincts took over.

For a long time he kept his kisses soft and slow, stopping at all the freckles on each shoulder and each space across her collarbone, his fingertips barely grazing her skin as he let her slowly adjust. His self-control was waning and so he began to nip and tease with a bit more intent, wanting to thoroughly ravish her.

He trailed his lips down her chest, stopping to suck and bite until she was bowing beneath him and Betty pulled him closer, wanting more of his skin touching hers. He pulled her other knee up around his waist and rocked against her, drawing a squeak and a sudden twitch of her muscles and he smiled smugly and chuckled against her skin.

_ “Fuck, Jughead. Please,”  _ she thought frantically as he continued to tease her.

_ “Is that any way to talk to your Alpha?”  _ he said back, tickling his fingers down her ribs.

_ “You’re right. Fuck, Alpha.”  _ she corrected.  _ “Touch me, now.” _

Jughead grinned wider and shimmied down, his teeth grazing her stomach and his tongue dipping into her belly button before scooting down further and pulling her legs from around his waist.

“Jug, what are you…” she trailed off, flushing pink.

“Shhh,” he shushed her with a wink. “I’ve been dreaming of this.” His lips descended on her and Betty’s eyes rolled back in her head. He chuckled again against her as her arms momentarily flailed, unsure what to do with the new sensation coursing through her. They settled into the sheets first, gripping and wringing them back and forth before finding a new, firm grasp in his dark hair while his tongue did wicked things to her body.

_ “Cocky bastard,”  _ she thought, allowing him to hear.

_ He  _ growled back, pushing her hips back down.  _ “I don’t think you mind. I’ve been waiting forever to do this.” _

He added a finger to help prepare her, which was something they had explored at the swimming hole a few days prior, and then two, which was very new. She knew he was trying to help her to be as ready as possible for their mating. She could see the tension in his shoulders was rapidly tightening as he began to lose his control. With a crook of his hand she was shattering into a million pieces, flopping back onto the mattress as he placed soft kisses in a trail back up her body to her lips.

“You’ve killed me,” she huffed out breathlessly, kissing him hungrily and grabbing at the back of his neck to pull him in closer.

“Betty, I need to…,” he began, trailing off. She could see how hard he clenched his jaw, the need to mark her unbearable by that point. He had gone slow for her benefit and desperately wanted her now. She wanted it, too. She was raised independent, but she wanted nothing more than to be possessed by him and to possess him at the moment.

“I know, Juggie,” Betty said, stroking his chest. “I’m ready. It’s time.”

She shifted her legs to bracket his hips and he pressed his forehead against hers, his chest heaving a bit as he struggled to remain gentle. His arm muscles shook with the effort.

Ever so slowly, he began to inch into her, taking time to allow her to adjust, linking their fingers together and pressing them up over her head. It pinched a bit, but mostly she still felt an overabundance of lust and adrenaline from his bite earlier which overpowered any other feelings she had.

“I’m ready, Jug,” she moaned out quickly before hitching her legs around his back and pulling him all the way into her in one stroke, wincing in a flash of pain before being overcome by his feeling of pleasure. It was then he finally lost it.

_ “Mine,” _ she could hear him growling, whether he intended to share that thought or not before his teeth sank into her neck, the semi-circle from earlier now made complete, a symbol of the full moon permanently brandished into her skin. 

“Ahhh,” Betty cried out, for a moment in pain, but then quickly fading into something else. At that moment the whole world receded and ceased to turn; it was only them, blanketed around one another. With his jaws still latched onto her neck she could feel him inside of her, feel his love, his lust, and everything in between. She could only assume he felt hers as well since his grip on her became bruisingly tight and his hips began to slam into her rapidly, his wolf wishing it could crawl all the way into her, imbed itself as deep as her soul and never re-emerge.

Her gums began to ache in a way she couldn’t explain and he must have sensed it as well.

“Do it,” he cried out. “Bite me, too. I can feel how much you ache for it and I want to be yours.” He sank his teeth back into her skin just as her own clamped down into his neck. Mutually connected the fault line rumbled, the earth shook, and the world ended.

“Betty,” he cried, licking at her wound. “I can’t. I need to…”

“Let go, Juggie,” she cooed. “I’m yours now and you’re mine.”

With a final cry, as howl-like as he could be in human form, he collapsed against her, both of them trembling from their emotional connection. Betty found herself crying and was unsure why, perhaps just from being entirely overwhelmed, and Jughead, still panting, rolled to the side and cradled her again this chest, peppering small kisses across her nose and eyelids, whispering how much he loved her until her body began to calm itself.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “That was just overwhelming. Amazing, but overwhelming.”

Jughead kissed the crown of her hair, unable to stop touching her. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was his soulmate, because they just consummated their mate bond, or just love, but his body needed to be tethered to hers. “I was not prepared for that,” he chortled. “I knew sex with you would be amazing because I love you, but I wasn’t prepared for how intense that got. It shattered me. I could feel all of what you felt. Every emotion, every tremor…”

“I liked it,” Betty whispered, her gaze penetrating and unyielding. “When you bit me.”

Though it had only been minutes, he could feel himself getting worked up again. Betty could feel it too. She kissed her way down his chest, prepared to return his gift from earlier.

“Alphas aren’t the only ones who like to devour their prey, Jug.”

The rest of the night was spent in a haze of hands, lips, and tongues. They got more brazen as the night went on telling each other exactly what they planned on doing and then executing just that. When Betty’s body was sore and limp, they finally settled into the blankets, curled up into one another, exhausted. 

In between, he had taken care of her, rubbing at her tired legs, grabbing them sips of water and bites of fruit. It was those quiet times in between that were the most intimate to her and that resonated the most.

During a quiet moment, Betty had felt his mind far away and rubbed at his cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking back on the night we marked and how fourteen-year-old me thought that holding your hand was the biggest thrill of my life and then we kissed and my whole world felt like it fell into alignment. I’m thinking that if that boy knew what I just did to you tonight he would die right there on the spot.”

Betty bit at his shoulder, shaking her head at his humor.

“So, would you say we officially consummated the bond?” Jughead asked her breathlessly.

“Jug, you’ve had me eight times, three of which you bit me and two of which I bit you. I can’t move half my appendages. I’d say we did a fair job in the consummation department. And before you even think of it, don’t say let’s make it nine because as it is it’s going to be embarrassing enough when I’m walking stiff for the pack breakfast in a few hours.”

“That’s a good thing,” he said proudly. “I mean, usually they listen in tonight from downstairs, but dad squashed that. How else will they know I’ve got good Alpha stock if I didn’t leave you walking funny in the morning.”

She slapped him as he laughed, nipping at her shoulder.

“God, I don’t know if it’s the sex or the Alpha thing, but you are in rare form tonight.”

“It’s both,” he said matter-of-factly. “The hottest, smartest, fiercest wolf in the pack is now my wife. I’m all about flaunting that.”

“Keep up with the flattery and maybe we  _ will _ make it to ten before sunrise,” Betty giggled, pushing him over to pin him to the bed.

“I can go all night, Betty,” he grinned back wolfishly. “Some things are just worth the wait and tonight was one of them. I wish your mark would stay on me, though. I wish your bite would stay and not heal like mine on you.”

Betty kissed his shoulder right over the bit and grinned. “Guess I’ll have to keep biting you every night to keep it there.”

Jughead’s nostrils flared at the promise and he flipped them over until he was pinning her down.

“Seriously, Jug?” she giggled as he tugged the sheets down in haste.

“We’ve christened the bed, the dresser, the recliner, and the floor, but not the master bathroom, Betts. We can’t stop now.”

“Fine,” she sighed, feigning disinterest. “Let’s make it nine.”

…..

The sun streamed in early the next morning. All told, Betty guessed they had gotten maybe two hours of sleep. Her legs had never been this sore before and that included the one pack training after Sweet Pea had gotten fired from the movie theater and had made them run ten miles in human form and then spar for three hours. Jughead figured out what the oils were for and rubbed her calves, thighs, and shoulders last night before they had finally fallen asleep, working out some of the soreness.

She had awakened not on her own accord, but to Jughead’s teeth nipping at her neck and his nose skimming her pulse point there. When he sensed she was awake, he let his lips cover hers, waking her up with soft, lazy strokes of tongue against tongue.

“Morning,” he smiled after a few moments, returning to languid kisses after and gazing down at her neck and chest.

“Morning,” Betty blushed, noting the array of purple and red marks littering her chest and neck. 

“You’re shy now?” he said smugly, pulling her lip that she bit back out from between her teeth. “You weren’t bashful at all last night when you demanded it harder and-”

“Jug!” Betty yelled, slapping him. “Stop! Don’t tease me or you won’t get a repeat tonight.”

“Honestly, Betty, I’m not sure if I could repeat last night if I wanted to. I’m exhausted and the last thing I want to do right now is leave this soft, warm bed and my soft, warm mate to go eat with a bunch of smelly wolves who are just going to ogle you all morning.”

Betty looked at the clock and sighed. “We have to get dressed. It’s so archaic that I have to wear a tube top so everyone can see your mark and that we actually had sex last night. They might as well just hang the bedsheets out the packhouse window like I teased.”

Slipping from bed, she noted how shaky her legs actually were. Jughead came around and rubbed at her hips loosening up her stiff muscles.

“Sorry about that,” he frowned, gesturing to the bruises on her hip bones. “I got carried away at some point.”

Betty shrugged and grabbed a pair of white shorts and a green tube top she had packed for the breakfast. “I didn’t complain.”

Once they were dressed and she had brushed her hair into some semblance of a presentable ponytail, they tidied up a bit so the room didn’t look ransacked. Somewhere around consummation number five things had gotten a bit wild.

With one last shared, private kiss, they left their room holding hands and headed downstairs to the main hall where everyone would be gathered.

Upon their entry, there were tons of howls, hoots, and shouts, a few “yeah boy” thrown in there as well leaving Betty heated and pink again. Everyone clambered to see her Lumina mark as it had been over twenty-five years since a new mark like that was made in their pack.

They made their way to the front where their families sat, along with the other newly mated couples. 

“Damn, Jones,” Kevin said boldly. “Did you leave anywhere on her body unblemished?”

“Why are you checking out her body, Kevin,” Jughead growled back possessively.

“Down, boy,” Cheryl deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. “I think he just meant that our dear, sweet Betty looked properly ravished based on her purple hue and the stiff wincing with her walk. A plus. Cheryl Blossom approves.”

Jughead laced their fingers together and kissed her knuckles, noting how embarrassed she seemed by their teasing. He forgot sometimes that missing the early years of their pack outings meant that she was still more reserved than most of them in regards to pack habits. Without looking away from her, he pulled down the neck of his t-shirt so that his friends could see the mark Betty left, unblinking at their gasps and gawks.

“I’d say we both did a decent job on each other,” he explained. “And for future reference, you never have to ask. Betty will always be properly ravished as far as I’m concerned.”

“How is that still there, Jug?” Betty asked, surprised. “That should have healed already.”

Jughead paused and looked over at her, unconcerned but unsure. “Dunno,” he shrugged. “But I’m not complaining.”

Archie slammed down a giant plate of breakfast at the moment, grinning at his friends. “Yo, Jug, you missed the crazy party last night. Reggie fell out of a tree and landed on Sweet Pea. Sweets kicked his ass so hard in the middle of the field. It was amazing.”

“Sorry I missed it, Arch,” Jughead said quite unconvincingly, tossing a wink at Betty. “Sounds way better than my night.”

FP chose then to enter the dining hall, eyes searching the room until they landed on Jughead. He waved him and Betty over and into his office across the hall where Alice and Penelope were already waiting.

“What is it?” Betty asked worriedly. “Is it Polly and Jason? Is everything alright?”

“There was a disturbance last night at the ceremony. Jim Rear was good enough to help me cause a distraction with that whole show of dominance so some of the pack members could investigate unnoticed. That wolf that followed you, Betty… his scent was back along with others not belonging to our pack. Fred smelled it as soon as it came close enough. They tried to track it but it disappeared again. I’m afraid someone, or possibly a pack, is fixated on you, and I think we know why.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff happens. Yes, I know. Very deep and thorough summary...
> 
> A lot is going on here! So many things! So I’m not going to summarize. Just read and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> ***There’s some implied possible child abuse in this chapter and some verbal abuse. Be warned before reading.***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Jandy for her super editing skills and suggestions!!!
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr for updates! @likemereckless

**Serpent Pack House**

**July 2019**

Betty stared at FP, her stomach churning. She could feel the acid building and creeping its way up her throat, burning her esophagus. Jughead could feel her discomfort and pulled her over to the large, black leather couch in the corner to sit. FP gestured towards the other couches with his nose and Alice and Penelope took a seat as well as FP hopped up on his desk to sit, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Frantic thoughts raced through Betty’s mind. They must have discovered her fae background. Polly must have seen something. But would she expose her own mother and sister to danger just for Jason? 

“There are things that you don’t know, boy,” FP began, drawing Betty from her own reflection. “Painful things I’ve kept from you. Before I start, I want you to know that  _ you _ are the best thing that ever happened to me and if I could change it, I wouldn’t do a thing differently if it meant I got to have you, here, by my side.”

Betty could sense a tremor run through Jughead’s body next to her, almost as if he anticipated what his father was about to say. 

“When I was your age, a little older actually, I sensed my mate one night, deep in the woods. It wasn’t a burning soulmate mark like you two have, but wolves know when they meet who they are supposed to be with.”

FP smiled to himself, seemingly lost in reflection. “She was beautiful, wrapped up in a golden dress, dipping her toes into a pond by the lily pads, touching each flower as if she was greeting them as old friends. I was with a few of my buddies; Fred, Hal, and Myles.”

“Wait, Hal?” Betty interrupted. “As in Hal Cooper, my father who challenged you to a duel to the death?”

“The very same,” FP said, a tight angry grimace to his lips. “Anyway, this girl, a vision really, got nervous as I approached. She wasn’t a werewolf, but she could sense that we were and she knew we were dangerous. I promised her I wouldn’t hurt her. I can still see her face as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at me. She challenged me, even then.”

_ “I have a feeling that he’s not talking about my mother,”  _ Jughead communicated to Betty.  _ “In the things I’ve heard about her in passing, fierce and blunt were the only two descriptors given.” _

“I remember asking her if she had any silver on her and she did, a pendant, sharp enough to cut through my skin. I told her to hold it out and I’d kneel before her, that way she could make sure my intentions were noble.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Betty saw Alice grab Penelope’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze as FP spoke.

“We met every night after that. We fell in love. But while regular pack members can choose a non-were partner so long as they never mark them, for Alpha’s it was forbidden,” FP explained, voice faltering a bit.

“Your grandpa was a real son-of-a-bitch,” he continued, offering a small wry smile to Jughead. “He would never have gone to bat for me on this one and I… I made a grave mistake. One that I never wanted you and Betty to have to make. Maybe knowing this will help you understand some of the constraints Alice and I have put on you over the years.”

It was at that moment Jughead realized his father was red-faced, but not from anger. Actual tears glossed over his eyes as he recounted his tale.

“You see, my mate trusted me with a secret. One that I stupidly thought, as future Alpha, that one of my closest friends would keep and respect. She… she…”

“She told him she was not from this worldly plane,” Alice continued for him, dropping Penelope’s hand and coming to lean on the desk next to FP, placing a comforting hand on his back. “She told him she was from the fae world and was cast out by her family to protect her during a perilous war.”

Betty’s eyes widened into saucers and Jughead’s pulse beat rapidly in his neck, sensing where this story was going. Penelope pulled herself up into a rigid position from where she leaned against the window sill, her mouth forming a grim, thin line, lips pursed in confused but bitter fury.

“Jughead, your father told his closest friend, Hal, one night. He planned on marrying against his father’s wishes, and Hal ran off to Forsythe the first and told him of FP’s plan.”

“Dad,” Jughead said softly, reaching out to him, but FP shook his head. 

“Just- just let us get to the end here, son.”

“In his anger, Forsythe stole a young wolf from a neighboring pack, a pack he wanted to begin a war with. He was a bloody man. He held FP’s intended mate captive and threatened to kill her unless FP marked the wolf, your mother, Jughead. The match was against both of their wills and her pack, Stonewall, was up in arms about it. Forsythe got what he wanted; a war that garnered him more land when he won, and the fae was no longer with his son.”

“The fae,” Betty asked, already knowing the answer. “What became of her?”

Alice smiled sadly as she spoke, knowing that although Betty asked, she already knew the answer. “Forsythe had promised her to another, someone he believed was strong and deserving to use her for his needs. He gave me to Hal, Betty, very much against my will. He drained me and weakened me then forced me to be with him and I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t.”

“Oh, Mom,” Betty sighed, tears now leaking from the corners of her eyelids.

“I could sense Polly inside me already, and I knew one day she may shift. She needed to be with a pack and, God help me, I knew when he was Alpha one day that FP would protect her, so I stayed. I stayed for years worth of drainings and beatings… but none of it mattered as long as you and Polly were safe.”

Betty rose from the couch like a flash to embrace her mother tightly, Alice weeping into her hair. It had been a heavy burden keeping the secret for so long.

“All this time?” Jughead asked his father. “All this time and you couldn’t be together?”

“Not officially,” FP explained. “When your mother ran off, back to Stonewall, our bond was severed. I never looked for her because I respected what she did. She was forced into this pack and she never wanted to be here. Alice and I have been together, in secret, ever since. Hal waited until my father died as a sign of respect for him before challenging me. Alice helped me to defeat Hal that night and once I step down as Alpha, we can finally be together publicly.”

FP laced his fingers through Alice’s again, sharing a hopeful and wistful smile between the two of them. The other occupants in the room could see the longing and sadness of lost time that their faces held, but also the slight optimism that they still had a future, despite their past circumstances.

“Only Fred, the Spellmans, and the McCoys knew what transpired, but never why… never the fae aspect of it. But your mother, she never forgave me, Jughead. I smelled her wolf last night. If Jason and Polly are with them, then I can only assume it’s a personal vendetta against me and Alice, possibly through hurting you two.”

“So, Jason’s gone because you had to slip into bed with a pixie?” Penelope spat out, brows furrowed and cheeks blazing crimson. “I know Alpha’s are predisposed to dip their captains into any ship in port, but you're a werewolf Alpha for Christ's sake! I’ve always supported you. Trusted you. And now your… your indiscretions with that supernatural trickster have gotten Jason, an  _ actual  _ member of this pack, kidnapped or off chasing after Polly and possibly killed!’

“Penelope,” FP warned, shooting her a venomous glare and pulling Alice in closer to him.

“No,” Penelope cried out. “All this time, Alice. We’ve been best friends all this time and you never thought to tell me? I trusted you with  _ everything.  _ Every dark secret that seeped from the festering wound that was the Blossom heritage that Clifford dragged me through.”

Alice wrenched her hand away from FP and reached for her friend, grimacing in hurt when Penelope pulled away from her as if burned by an iron.

“No,” she snarled. “You don’t get to comfort me when my son is gone because of your daughter and your dirty secrets.”

“You would have done the same,” Alice simpered, quickly and warbling. “You would have done the same to protect Jason and Cheryl. If I didn’t trust you  _ completely  _ you wouldn’t even be hearing this now, but you deserve the whole truth. We will find Polly and Jason and so help me God, Penny, I will obliterate the wolves who did this. There will be nothing but ash and crimson splattering the halls of Stonewall Manor when my fury is finished. And I hope you’ll be by my side.”

Penelope considered Alice’s words, breathing deeply and eyeing her fiercely. She offered naught but a slight nod before turning and walking through the door, stiffening her shoulders and pausing momentarily as if to turn back and say more, before leaving altogether. 

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment before Betty decided to fill it.

“Does… does Gladys know about us?” Betty asked. “About our bloodline?”

FP shook his head. “She didn’t. But if Polly figured it out and told the Stonewall pack, they will seek to use you the way Hal did Alice. Now, more than ever, we need to stand guard and watch our backs. A war is coming. I just don’t know exactly when.”

**Sweetwater Lake**

After the tumultuous and emotional morning they had, it was nice to be acting eighteen among friends. Betty and Jughead had embraced their parents for a long while, unable to grasp the depths to which their grief must have run. 

Afterward, FP and Jughead had excused themselves for some private time in FP's office while Alice and Betty spent some time in Betty’s new, shared room upstairs in the packhouse. Jughead and his father discussed his mother and FP had apologized for being so vague in regards to her absence over the years. Jughead had brushed it off, telling him not to apologize that he had suffered enough for love. 

After a longer than normal embrace, complete with more shed tears, FP pulled back and wiped at his eyes, clearing his throat before grinning at Jughead.

“So,” he teased. “How was last night?”

“Seriously, Dad?” Jughead groaned. “I’m not talking to you about… that.”

“Aww come on,” FP laughed. “I bet the guys will hound you worse than me.”

“My lips are sealed,” Jughead insisted.

“I guess they weren’t sealed last night based on that bite mark you’re sporting, boy,” FP laughed, slapping his son’s shoulder.

“Actually, we were wondering about that. This bite  _ was  _ from last night but it still hasn’t healed. Is that some fae thing?”

FP turned up his lips and shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ll talk to Alice but most likely.” Raising a brow, FP looked at him accusingly. “Were you good to her like I told you to be? Gentle and a gentleman?”

“Dad,” Jughead warned, getting annoyed in addition to mortally embarrassed.

FP clapped his son on the back, amused by his discomfort. “Just tell me this… was it more than five times?”

Jughead’s blush gave his answer.

“Six? Seven? More?” FP grinned, loving his son’s obvious discomfort. 

“Okay, dad,” Jughead said loudly, heading towards the door. “It’s been a nice father-son chat, but I’m hungry now. Someone interrupted my breakfast.”

As he left, he swore he heard his father yell something about knowing what he was hungry for as he headed downstairs, hoping the main hall was now empty and he could eat in peace. Sometimes he hated being a wolf.

Betty had a similar heart to heart with her mother.

“I can’t imagine what you went through, Mom,” Betty spoke softly to her. “You’re so brave and stoic and I just… thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Alice waved her off, not wanting to open a floodgate of tears again and instead turned the tables.

“The past is the past, Betty,” Alice grinned. “Now, what I want to hear about is your night.”

Though she wore no makeup, Betty’s cheeks suddenly took on the appearance of a deep rouge. 

“It was fine, Mom,” Betty said shyly. “You were right. He was gentle.”

“Betty Cooper, or dare I now say Jones, you lie,” her mother laughed with a sparkle in her eye. “I see those marks and bruises and now you know I’ve been with an Alpha so I know your night was anything but tame.”

“Mom!” Betty gushed out, before narrowing her eyes at her mother. “So all of those times you were weeding the pack garden…”

“Doin’ it,” Alice replied.

“And planting new buds…”

“Doin’ it,” she grinned again.

“And prepping the fields for fall?”

“Doin’ it,” Alice laughed. “I’m a fae, Betty. It takes me five minutes to tell the plants what to do. Not hours.”

Alice laughed at Betty’s awkward and uncomfortable, flustered state, and eventually, Betty managed to laugh along with her while resting her head on her mother’s shoulder.

“I love you, Mom,” Betty said softly.

Alice pressed a kiss to the side of her head and stroked her hair back. “Love you, too. Now, go find your soulmate. He’s probably still craving your presence like oxygen right now.”

Now they were momentarily free from family drama, walking hand-in-hand to where their friends were gathering. Safety came in numbers, so it was logical that the safest place for them was with their friends. The ten-minute walk from the packhouse took them thirty though as Jughead kept stopping to press her up against trees, his lips attacking hers while Betty’s hands scraped at his back.

When they finally reached the lake, surrounded by large rock formations and sunken into the ground, they saw the guys congregating on one side of the water, sitting on the rocks with coolers nearby, and the girls floating on tubes and swimming on the other.

“Do you think anyone would notice if we ducked under one of those rock formations alone?” he whispered, lips brushing her ear. 

“I think we may find the opportunity later after they’ve had their quota of wine coolers and beer, but for now, yes,” she smiled back.

“Damn,” he cursed, letting go of her and putting his hand on her cheek instead, pulling her in for one last quick kiss. “Enjoy the inquisition from the girls,” he added with a wink before jogging off toward the guys.

Betty stopped by the side of the rocks and took off her cover-up, a blue bikini beneath it, listening to her friend's idle chatter as she put on some sunscreen.

“So, how was your night, V?” Toni asked. “You guys have a good time?”

“Honestly?” Veronica shrugged. “We had  _ way _ too much tequila and I can’t remember if we even mated. I remember doing shots off Cheryl and waking up naked in the clearing. Archie woke up wearing my lipstick and dandelion socks. Not entirely sure what that was about.”

Ethel chuckled uncomfortably and shifted her eyes around the group. “If you woke up naked then….”

Veronica waved her off. “I never sleep clothed. I like to breathe. What about you, Ethel? Did you and Dilton have a magical night?”

Ethel shrugged and looked around awkwardly. “It was okay, I guess? I don’t know. It was my first time so…”

“It will get better,” Veronica reassured her. “Archiekins didn’t have the stamina of a bull in the beginning either.” Her eyes darted over to where Betty was walking towards them and raised her voice to be heard by all the girls. “We can’t all be so lucky as to mate with the Alpha.”

With her sunscreen applied, Betty climbed down the rock ledge and into the water, swimming over to where Toni held out a raft which Betty climbed into gratefully, wincing the slightest bit as she descended.

“Yesss,” Cheryl groaned, only now emerging from under her covered raft. “Finally the juicy gossip we’ve been waiting for. Spill, Betty. Tell us of your nighttime escapades in the sheets with our dear, future Alpha.”

“Honestly?” Betty began, glancing over at the boys quickly only to see Jughead grinning at her, smug. “It was super intense and hot, but also really tender and intimate. Like an out-of-body experience. I don’t think I was even this sore after my first pack training fight.”

“What type of Alpha would you say your quasi-husband is?” Veronica pressed. “Dominant? Romantic? Sensual?”

“Yes,” Betty said simply, laughing along with their screeches.

“It was your first time, right?” Josie pressed. “Was it anything like you imagined it would be?”

“Honestly, Josie,” Betty confessed with a shake of her head. “I could  _ never  _ have imagined or been prepared for last night. It was so special.”

“How many-” Toni began before Betty cut her off.

“Nine,” she blushed. “If you’re asking what I think you were.”

“Nine?” Cheryl gasped. “How is that even possible? Is that an Alpha thing? Did the wolf even let you breathe?”

Betty rolled her eyes and waved Cheryl off. “Trust me, I wasn’t saying no. Plus he took really good care of me. He gave me a massage and everything when my muscles started to protest. Our bond and the rush from his bite kind of took over so I wasn’t really feeling much until today. I’m kind of exhausted now though, so thanks for the raft.”

Cheryl eyed Betty carefully before sighing. “Yes, well he seems to have pleased you, but I suppose the question is did you actually please him? Happy Alpha, happy pack. Your job in between the sheets is just as important as on the council.”

“Babe!” Toni yelled. “That’s awful to say!”

Cheryl shrugged, unconcerned. “I’m just speaking the truth. Alpha’s have voracious and unique appetites. I’m just reminding Betty that she may need to get creative.”

“You better rest up,” Veronica laughed. “Now that he’s had a taste, he’ll be back for more tonight. It fuels the Alpha ego and adrenaline. They are notorious maters.”

“I’m counting on it,” Betty grinned coyly, looking over at Jughead who still sat staring at her from the rocks. She was only mildly nervous and worried about Cheryl’s declaration but managed to push it to the back of her mind.

“He isn’t even trying to hide it,” Toni laughed. 

“Why should he,” shrugged Veronica. “He’s the Alpha. It’s only natural.”

Betty bit her lip and dropped out of the raft, quirking an eyebrow over at him. Though the guys were clearly questioning him, he was merely smirking and shrugging them off, refusing to share. Her sudden departure from her floatation device though was sparked more so by the thoughts he was sending her way; thoughts that would make anyone blush.

_ “Now that I know what your skin tastes like under that tiny bikini I want to see it strewn across the rocks while you’re strewn across me,”  _ he said to her privately.

Betty grinned to herself and ducked under the water, arching her back as she reemerged, wiping the hair back from her face before smirking over at him again, enjoying the way his jaw had slackened and eyes grown large.

_ “You know, I’m the Alpha,”  _ he said quite sternly, yet teasing.  _ “I should punish you for teasing me. Maybe right here right now so everyone knows I own you.” _

Slowly, she pushed off from the bottom of the water and swam towards a hidden crevice in the rocks, looking back over her shoulder.

_ “Well then, Alpha,”  _ she replied suggestively.  _ “Perhaps I do need to be punished. Maybe bent over a rock…or your lap.” _

She had told him they needed to wait, but it seemed she was the one who couldn’t control herself now.

“Oh my God, Betty,” Veronica screeched, as Jughead dove off the rocks and into the water, swimming their way. “I have no idea how you just got Jughead all flustered with a few looks. You’re so bad! I’m in love with this side of you!”

“Ladies,” Jughead grinned, swimming past the girls and catching up to Betty, swimming further down the lake with her into a secluded spot. 

“Get some, Jones!” Reggie yelled from downstream.

From behind their rock covering, Betty wrapped her arms around Jughead’s neck, using his body to keep herself afloat.

“You know, they all think we are making Alpha pups back here,” he said, pressing kisses onto her shoulder. “Plus, you’re the one who said we had to wait before.”

“I don’t care what they think,” Betty sighed. “And I’m not as strong as I thought I was. Just talking about last night had my skin itching for yours. I’m not sure how I’m going to function in day-to-day life anymore. You’ve ruined me.”

“We’re just making up for lost time.  _ So  _ much lost time. Five years of me waiting to devour every part of you. I’m not sure I can think clearly to run a pack right now because all I think about is you… naked.”

Jughead crushed her up against the rocks and slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her hungrily, hands running up and down her exposed skin loosening the ties on her bikini bottoms, grateful for the water cascading down overhead to blanket out any noise. It was a long while before they rejoined their friends.

**Stonewall Manor**

**August 2019**

The meeting room was chilled despite the warm temperatures outside. Gaping stone archways and marbled floors were filled with a raucous of pack members, snarling and arguing back and forth.

“Enough!” Gladys yelled out across the crowd, her gruff voice echoing on the stone. “Enough!”

Everyone in the room fell silent, turning their eyes towards the woman up front.

“Take your seats and close your traps,” she barked gruffly, adjusting the collar on her leather jacket. “Your Alpha and I have some pack business, important pack business, to discuss tonight.”

From the back of the room, the stomp of two large boots sounded. The room turned and as their leader came into view, they parted a path and began to move out of his way, taking their seats. 

Tall Boy made his way up front, stopping quickly to give Gladys a playful swat on the backside, chuckling as she grinned back at him, haughty. 

“Alright, pups!” Tall Boy called out. “Listen up! The time has come for us to turn the Serpent Pack into nothing but shed skin!”

Cheers and growls rang out through the room, hands raising in agreement and triumph.

“For too long those mongrels have had our land, and let’s not forget what they did to our beautiful Lumina. Thanks to one of their own we have some insider intel,” he said, gesturing to Polly. “We know that FP Jones' son mated- and to his soulmate no less. She also has some unknown form of magic that could be useful to our pack. The time has come to end the Jones’ and get revenge for what they did to Gladys.”

“So, here’s how it goes down,” Gladys grinned. “We get the girl, and we don’t make it pretty. We let young FP know  _ exactly  _ what we’re going to do with her. Hell, you can  _ all  _ have her, I don’t care. We break her, and then we use whatever magic it is that she has to take down The Serpents. All I care about is that in the end, the Jones’ die.”

“No!” a scream of terror came from the side. “How can you say that? Jughead is your  _ son _ ! And Betty! She’s my sister! You never said-”

“You never asked you dumb mutt,” Gladys sneered over Polly who had stood to make her case. “And how dare you question us? You wanted to be one of us, blondie. Now it’s time to lay the initiation fee.”

“No,” Polly cried again, shaking her head. Her brow was wrinkled up and her face was wet with tears. “I didn’t agree to this. I just wanted-”

“That’s exactly it. You just  _ wanted _ ,” Tall Boy growled. “All the Serpents do is  _ want _ and  _ take. _ But not anymore. Lock her in the dungeon with the ginger. I’ve had enough of her anyway.”

“So, how do we get near her, boss?” a sinister, curly-haired wolf asked from the back.

Tall Boy nodded to a wolf on the side and he headed off into a side room.

“We can’t count on just one way to get information. We need to  _ know  _ more before we blindly attack since we don’t know what we’re up against here. Malachi, you have an important role to play. Thanks to Polly over there, we know that Sabrina Spellman, one of the wood witches, knows more than just a bit of what’s going on. You need to worm your way in. We hear she’s loose and we all know your nightly extracurriculars, so maybe start there.”

“What about me?” Brett interjected. “I’m the one who’s been following Cooper. I’m the one who tracked her and got blasted fifty feet in the air.”

“She knows your scent,” Gladys shrugged. “Do you have a soft spot for Ponytail or something?”

Bret smiled, in his usual disgusting way and shrugged. “She’s easy on the eyes.”

Gladys eyed him for a moment and then spoke. “You can have her. Once she’s here and broken, she can be yours. Do what you will. Quite frankly I don’t give a damn what happens to Alice Cooper’s kid as long as we can use her.”

The wolf who left earlier trudged back through the door, dragging a body alongside him. The young girl he pulled was small and malnourished, her dark hair limp, dull, and matted from lack of care. Without any gentleness, he tossed the girl to the floor in front of Gladys and Tall Boy, returning to his spot along the side.

“Get up you disgusting abomination,” Gladys snarled, pulling her up by the ponytail. “Most of you here know of Jellybean, my festering wound of a daughter. I was pregnant with her when I fled the Serpents. She’s FP Jones' daughter and a puss-filled scab on our pack. But now she has the chance to redeem herself. Isn’t that right, Jellybean?”

Jellybean could hardly talk with her head pulled back so far, neck extended, but she managed a small waggle of her head and a choked out, “Yes, Ma’am.”

“JB here is going home, boys,” Gladys laughed. “She will ‘escape’ and get some intel from inside the packhouse.”

“Won’t FP see through that?” someone called out. “Won’t he turn her away?”

“It needs to be believable,” Gladys nodded, flagging over two of the wolves nearby. “Rough her up before we drop her, boys. We’ll need this to look unstaged.”

Before they took her Gladys gripped her chin roughly, smooshing up her face. “You can prove yourself now, JB. Redeem yourself for the disgusting wart that you are. Don’t fuck this up.”

JB just nodded as the two wolves pulled her away. She wasn’t afraid. She was no stranger to a beating.

“I want eyes on the Serpents twenty-four-seven,” Tall Boy instructed, already walking back through the crowd and out of the room. “These snakes don’t take a piss that we don’t know about.  _ Especially _ Jughead. He’s his father’s weak underbelly and I plan to exploit that if I can.”

The wolves shuffled out of the meeting space, one by one heading back out into the night. Only then did he move from the shadows and into the light.

“I trust you picked wolves who can get the job done?” Hiram spoke firmly. “I want things tied up nice and neatly.”

“We always get the job done,” Tall Boy sneered. He hated being in bed with a snake, but he needed his help. He is the reason they established Polly as a weak link. Hiram needed to keep his own hands clean.

Hiram nodded and edged forward, his stare intimidating and piercing. “And we still have an accord? You get your land back, but I get fifty percent of the space to build?”

“Build whatever you want,” Gladys said, biting at her nails. “We just want the Joneses and the Coopers dead.

From the side of the hall and the dungeon below, two girls could be heard screaming, though for very different reasons, both pawns in this dangerous game.

**Serpent Lodge**

FP was in his high-backed chair, Betty and Jughead sat adjacent to him in the main meeting hall of the pack lodge.

Once a month he held an open forum. Unlike the weekly pack meetings on Sunday nights that preceded their family dinner, these forums held no agenda. Rather, they were a chance for FP to mediate pack disagreements and issues that arose. 

This would be the first time Betty and Jughead were present by his side, weighing in on pack business. This was typical for an upcoming Alpha and Lumina to partake in, FP considered it part of their training.

The first three speakers had spoken on more private matters, asking to push back their pack membership to attend an out of state college or explore another life path. Another had asked for permission to have his granddaughter stay for a few months while his daughter and son-in-law traveled for business. FP granted them all permission, granted they kept pack secrets and remembered where their loyalties lie.

The next issue was not as civil.

“Tanner Dosman,” FP called out. “You’re up next.”

Tanner stepped forward with his son, Jeremy, yanking a girl Betty recognized to be Elena Filler, who was Polly’s age, behind him.

“Alpha,” Tanner said respectfully. “We come before you to request your assistance in a family legal matter.”

Nodding and waving an arm in front of himself, FP signaled for him to continue. “Proceed.”

“Jonathan Filler died in May, as you are aware,” Tanner began. “Before his passing, he promised his daughter, Elena, as a mate to my son, Jeremy.”

Tanner tossed a scornful look of disdain at Elena, who in turn looked completely terrified, pulling at his arm to release her own.

“Two days before the mating ceremony in July, this piece of trash ran away, leaving Jeremy high and dry. She’s been trying to leave again since, but I have a written contract from Jonathan, which by pack law 47b allows a father to arrange a mating for his daughter.”

Jughead’s jaw tensed and he leaned forward, Betty practically steaming from her ears.

_ “Is he serious right now, Jug?”  _ she fumed.  _ “She is not a cow or a mule! She’s a person. How can this be allowed?” _

_ “Let’s see what my dad says, Betts, before we overreact.” _

“Tanner,” FP said candidly. “We have a  _ lot _ of old pack laws that haven’t been updated in years, but no one enacts them. This is one of them. I mean, my son was supposed to mate publicly, but that’s just unheard of in modern times so the law was dismissed.”

Tanner crossed his arms and glared back at his Alpha, unwilling to budge. “While they may be antiquated, they are in fact, still  _ law _ , and can be referenced.”

_ “Jughead,”  _ Betty seethed. _ “We can’t let this happen to her. Look at her! There’s something strange going on here.” _

_ “It’s not that cut and dry, Betty,”  _ he said, glancing at her quickly.  _ “It’s a written law.” _

_ “Back me up?”  _ she pleaded softly, reaching out her pink to link with his over the arm of her chair.

Jughead sighed and gripped her pinky back.  _ “Always.” _

FP stared down at him for a moment with an exigent gaze, but Tanner wouldn’t budge. “What is it you are asking me to do here, Tanner?”

“I’m not asking, FP,” Tanner glowered. “I want Elena mated to Jeremy at the next mating ceremony in January. In fact, I’d even prefer an allowance for it to happen sooner since she is the reason he was unable to partake in July.”

“No,” Elena cried out prettified. “Alpha, please. You don’t know-” Her words turned into a cry and Jeremy stepped in front of her, looming over her angrily.

“It’s a law, FP!” Tanner barked out. “And here, we abide by pack law!”

“Alright, Man,” FP sighed. “I think-”

“He’s right,” Betty’s voice cut in as FP and Jughead’s faces whipped towards her, jaws open in shock. “It is pack law and there isn’t anything that can interfere with pack law.”

Tanner grinned salaciously and his look didn’t sit well with any of the pack leaders up front. “And here I thought you’d be a waste of space as a half-breed Lumina, but here you go and prove me wrong, cutie.”

Betty smiled back delightfully, her inner wild wanting to rip out his jugular.

_ “Betty what are you-” _ Jughead began but was ignored as she spoke again.

“Honestly, I think it’s best if Elena stays here under watch until a ceremony can be arranged so she can’t try and leave again,” Betty continued. 

Tanner’s eyes shifted from pleased to those of shock, locking with Betty’s and for the first time he saw the devilish glint behind them.

“Now hold on-”

“Alpha,” Betty addressed FP, respectful in the public forum. “Don’t you agree it’s best for Elena to be watched here until further notice?”

FP eyed Betty curiously, noting the challenge of her quirked brow and subtly grinning at her cunning.

“Yes, I agree,” he said, turning from Betty and back out to Tanner. “We can’t risk her running again.”

Tanner sucked in a deep breath and considered their reasoning before nodding. Jeremy released Elena and, head down, she trudged up towards the stage, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Once safely in the front, Betty spoke again. “Now, I believe this is for the best but, we can’t  _ guarantee  _ that pack law 47b may not come up for reexamination at the next council meeting, right Alpha? That’s always a possibility.”

Tanner’s head snapped up and FP grinned outright at his, for all intents and purposes, daughter-in-law. “That’s true, Betty. We review laws all the time and that one just may be up for review next month.”

“This is shit!” Tanner blasted. “I want her back in my household then until further notice! How  _ dare _ you, you filthy whore of a human. You aren’t even a real wolf or part of this pack! You’re just screwing an Alpha!”

Jughead was off the stage in a second pressing Tanner up against the wall, his forearm crushing the other man’s windpipe as he glowered. “If you don’t want to suddenly find yourself without a pack you better watch what you say about  _ my  _ mate and  _ your _ Lumina or so help me, I  _ will _ tear you to pieces and leave you for animal feed.”

Tanner looked up at FP for help, but the Alpha only held up his hands as if there was nothing he could do. Jughead pulled back his arm and with one more scornful look, Tanner called his son and together they stalked out of the lodge. 

Betty released the breath she had been holding. Biting at her lip, she glanced up nervously, stammering at FP. “FP- I mean Mr. Jones- I mean Alpha. I mean- shit, sir, I-”

She was completely unprepared as his arms wrapped around her, laughing as he licked her up and jostled her back and forth. “Betty, my girl, you were brilliant tonight.”

Betty’s eyes shot up to his in surprise. “You’re not angry? I know I shouldn’t have interfered-”

“Angry? I’m so damned proud, Betty,” FP sighed. “You didn’t back down, you thought on your feet, and you made one hell of a good choice. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Jughead had made his way back to the front and Betty grinned at him sheepishly.

“Dad,” he asked. “Can Betty and I cut out a bit early? There are a few things we need to take care of.”

FP gave his son a knowing look and nodded. “Yeah, there’s only one more group tonight and it’s a dispute over a garden gnome. I think I can handle that one.”

With a final tight squeeze, FP released Betty. Jughead linked his fingers through hers before pulling her out of the meeting room and upstairs towards their bedroom.

“Jughead,” she began but never finished. She was pressed back into the bedroom door and his lips swallowed all of her words.

“That was such a turn on tonight,” he muttered into her neck as he kissed his way down her throat. “You were so in control. So… Alpha.”

“And you liked that?” Betty smiled, pushing him back from her neck and whirling them around so he was the one pinned.

“Fuck, you have no idea,” Jughead growled.

They shed their clothes instantly, not bothering to make it to the bed.

“Well, in that case, I’m in charge tonight and there’s so much I want to do to you and that filthy mouth.”

  
  


**Cooper Household**

**September 2019**

Betty sat on the lavender bedspread, thumbing through the tear-stained pages of the journal she held. She had been trying for weeks to mask her melancholy from Jughead, not wanting to drag him down. It wasn’t easy with their connection to constantly be on top of her game. 

She felt extra lost today. It was Polly’s birthday. She should be here with them, celebrating with friends, or maybe even off at college making awful, destructive decisions and dancing on bar tops. Jughead was overseeing the first evening training of the year for the younger pack members with Sweet Pea and so Betty had come to her mother’s house and retreated to Polly’s bedroom, thumbing through her diaries to feel a connection.

…..

_ May Fourteenth _

_ Jason and I snuck down to the old hunting cabins in Greendale last night. We brought some sleeping bags and a bottle of maple rum from Penelope’s secret stash. She’d be furious if she knew. _

_ We lit a fire in the pit out back and zipped our sleeping bags together. I wasn’t nervous at all. I waited my whole life for this moment. To be with him.  _

_ Jason called it mating. I call it making love. _

_ Maybe my life is working out after all. _

_ ….. _

_ June Twentieth _

_ Betty is always outside with Mom, whispering and laughing. It’s like ever since she first shifted that she’s special and I don’t exist. _

_ I may not grow claws and fur at a moment’s whim, but I still have value in this family, though no one seems to think so. _

_ Betty barely speaks to me anymore. She’s constantly out at all hours of the night with her pack friends or whatever. I think she has a secret boyfriend, not that she’d confide in me. _

_ I’m so alone here. _

_ ….. _

_ September Eighth _

_ He loves me. I know he does. He has to. _

_ I gave him everything. _

_ He’s taken my body and my heart and now he tells me we can’t be together? How can he even consider taking another mate at the ceremony next month? We were made for each other. He promised. He swore. _

_ He blamed it on his family. He said that he can’t spend his life with a human. He owes it to the pack. He owes it to his mom. Maybe if I had shifted like Betty... _

_ He doesn’t mean it. It’s Penelope talking. I know it. I’ll find a way. I’ll show him. _

_ Our story isn’t over yet. _

_ ….. _

By the time she finished reading, she was sobbing. Drops of tears turned into puddles, washing the emotional ink from the pages. As Betty watched Polly’s words drip away, she wished that she could have washed away her pain. She wished she was a better sister and a better friend. They were wrong to keep so many secrets.

Betty couldn’t close the floodgates. Her body rocked and shook with heavy tremors and she sunk into the bedspread, chest heaving and her breath hitching.

She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs protested the steady in and out they so casually took for granted on a daily basis. Her skin broke out in a thin sheen of sweat and the room spun before her eyes. 

Polly’s bedroom door burst open and Jughead and Sweet Pea stood motionless at the sight before them. Betty didn’t register their presence. Ripping at the cardigan she wore, she tore it off, clawing at her chest over the camisole she wore.

“Betty,” Jughead choked out, breathless. He had felt her distress and ran a straight six miles.

Alice’s terrified face appeared in the doorway, dwarfed by Sweet Pea’s larger presence. She had been working in the garden when Jughead had rushed past her, not so much as a friendly hello.

“It hu-rts, Jug,” she cried out, frantically clawing at her skin, her words fragmented and broken as she gasped for air. 

He was across the room in a second flat. Arms wrapped tight around her with his forehead pressed to hers. “Breathe with me, Betty,” he urged her, taking her palm and placing it against his chest. “Feel my breath and try to match it.”

“I c-an’t!” she panted, shaking against. “I - ca-nt.”

“Yes, you can,” he reassured her, using their bond to let her feel his deep even breaths.

Her body shook as she breathed against him, absorbing his calming emotions and beginning to match his breaths.

“It’s my fault,” she huffed out, her body exhausted. “It’s all my fault.”

He tipped his face back so they were still touching, nose to nose, but so he could look her in the eyes. “It is  _ not _ your fault, Betty. Don’t ever think that.”

Betty sniffed back some tears and sagged heavily against him as Alice tugged on Sweet Pea’s coat sleeve to give them some privacy, satisfied that Jughead would care for her.

“Cmon,” Alice offered. “I’ll make some tea.”

“Got anything stronger?” Sweet Pea asked, rubbing at the back of his head.

“Yeah. Whiskey sounds better at the moment,” Alice agreed, leading him down to the kitchen.

“I’m so cold, Jug,” Betty shivered, her words no longer punctuated by sharp intakes of breath. 

Jughead pulled back the covers and helped her underneath, climbing in behind her and wrapping his arms around her front, spooning her and sharing body heat. “Your body is in shock, Betty. You had a panic attack. This is all normal.”

“She left because of me, Jug,” Betty whispered tearfully into the pillow. “Because I wasn’t a good enough sister or friend. I was so wrapped up in us…”

“No,” Jughead said sharply, cutting her off. “Polly was dealt a bad hand, but it wasn’t your job to find her a better one. You loved her. You  _ love _ her. It was just easiest for her to be mad at you.”

“What if something bad happens?” Betty asked, her eyelids beginning to droop. “What if we don’t get her back?”

“We will. That’s a promise.” He stamped a soft kiss to the side of her jaw and pulled her closer. “Sleep. Rest. We can talk about this when you wake up.”

Her body slowly began to still as her shaking subsided. His lips lay pressed against the crown of her head as he held her back against his chest, the light pressure helping to ease her heart following her attack. 

_ I love you. _ He repeated over and over again hoping to fill her head with his voice rather than the poisoning of her own. He spoke to her until her breathing evened out and he knew she was asleep.

Jughead had sensed Betty trying to repress her feelings for weeks now and he had respected her privacy. It wasn’t easy always being linked to another person. But now things had escalated. 

He was a nervous wreck when he sensed her distress earlier. Something had to be done. He knew that they couldn’t just storm Stonewall’s packhouse but if FP didn’t make some type of move soon, he would have to force his hand. At the same time, that could bring Betty closer to danger. He was teetering on a delicate tightrope, unsure of how to keep the balance of what Betty needed- to be safe, and what she wanted- Polly.

Somewhere during the night, sleep took him as well, his thoughts of a rescue mission on hold for the foreseeable future.

**Serpent Lodge Lounge**

Jughead sat back in his leather chair, choking through the haze of cigars in the lounge. He was bored. Mind-numbingly so. He shook the glass tumbler in his hand, swirling the amber whiskey around again and watching it glint under the recessed lighting in the room.

His father had “strongly encouraged” him to attend social gatherings with the male council members, which translated into Jughead spending Saturday night in a smoke-filled haze surrounded by Fred Andrews, Hiram Lodge, and Miles McCoy. Their wives, who were also council members, had chosen a late-night run and some drinks under the moonlight. It sounded like they’d be having more fun. 

Somehow, Betty had gotten out of spending time with them, explaining she had prior plans with the girls. It was Jughead’s own fault, really. With the stress of council meetings and Polly, he had urged the girls to take her out. When his father got wind that Betty had plans and he did not, Jughead had wound up in his own personal hell.

He sat, still twisting the glass as they talked about pack politics and the most mundane topics imaginable.

Hiram lifted his glass to his lips.“The oaks over in the western part of the forest have filled in nicely since that klutz, Muggs, took them out on the last hunt night.”

Fred nodded in agreement. “We should spread the seeds ourselves next week to make sure they fill in where there are still gaps.”

“What if we make it part of the full moon run in two weeks?” Miles suggested. “It can be a whole community endeavor.”

They all nodded in agreement, sipping their drinks and sitting in silence. The clacking of heels gave Jughead something to focus on, followed by a chorus of giggles alongside the taps.

He stopped swirling his glass as his nostrils flared and his eyes widened. “Betty?”

She stopped in her tracks, turning in the open doorway with Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni behind her. Her hair was lightly curled and her makeup was heavier than normal, no doubt applied by Toni. The tight blue bandeau dress she had on ended about six inches above her knee, leaving her legs on full display.

“Juggie,” she shifted nervously, using the nickname she reserved for when she was being cute or wanted something. He was guessing right about now she wanted him  _ not _ to have an aneurysm.

“Why are you-, I don’t underst-, what happened to the rest of your dress?”

Betty folded her arms across her chest, only adding fuel to his fire as it made her chest more prominent. 

“Last time I checked, while you may be future Alpha of this pack, you had no official reign over my wardrobe.”

Jughead put his glass down on the coffee table in front of him, ignoring the amused smirks of the men before him. “Go back to talking about your trees,” he snapped as he walked to the hall.

“Where are you girls going?” Jughead asked, his eyes still locked on his mate.

Cheryl shrugged and adjusted her lip gloss. “Just the Wyrm. It’s ladies’ night so we can do a little dancing and let our inner wolves loose.”

“If you even tried to dance in those dresses there would be nothing for the bar patrons to imagine because it would all be hanging out!” Jughead grumbled accusingly.

Betty was fuming, he could feel her anger coursing through her. “Are you objecting to my  _ dress  _ or the fact that I’m wearing it for  _ me _ and not  _ you?” _

Jughead wasn’t dumb. He knew he couldn’t win this one. Sighing, he settled his hands on his hips and looked up at the ceiling.

“There are wolves from another pack waiting for a chance to get to you,” he reasoned. “You can’t even run straight in those four-inch heels. How will you get away if a problem arises?”

Before Betty could bite his head off, Veronica stepped in. “Hmmm, I don’t know. Let’s see… it’s not like we’re wolves who can shift at a moment's notice, which is fine by you when we shift and wind up naked, but this dress is offending your delicate sensibilities.”

_ “Betty, I’m just worried about you is all. I can’t help it. The Alpha in me doesn’t want anyone else looking at you. Ever. Not even your earlobe. Stonewall pack is out there and you know this. I can’t lose you.” _

Betty sighed and bit at her lip in frustration before groaning.

_ “And what do you suggest, Jug? I sit upstairs locked in an ivory tower while life happens? I know you’re scared but I can defend myself.” _

_ “Take Sweets and Fangs?”  _ he offered as a compromise.  _ “You’re supposed to have a guard and they won’t bother you all night, but at least you’ll have back up.” _

_ “I’m offended that you presume four, fully trained wolves can’t defend themselves if the need arises. Think about what you’re implying to the girls, to me, and to the pack, Jughead. I am not weak and I can’t be perceived as so.” _

“What are they doing?” Toni said, baffled as she looked between the two of them. They were standing head to head, seemingly nodding and gesturing in conversation, but no words were ever verbally spoken. “Is this some type of weird foreplay because….”

He stared for another moment before swiping a hand over his mouth and nodding reluctantly. “Fine. You’re right. Just, be careful, Betts?”

Betty softened as she felt the worry and jealousy that flowed through his veins.

“I always am, Jug. And when I get home, you can be the one to peel the dress off of me.”

With a growl, Jughead snapped his hand to the back of her head and pulled her in for a ferocious kiss, leaving her breathless, before offering one more lustful look at her outfit and heading back to his drink.

Veronica stood by frowning. “Are you going to explain what just happened?”

Betty chuckled and linked her arm through Veronica’s, leading her out the front of the lodge. “I’ll explain once we have a drink in our hands. Now let’s go have some fun.”

Jughead scowled from his armchair as they left. The elders he drank with laughed at his frown before launching into stories about making their own wives mad. Jughead sipped his drink and ruminated on the fact that he was a future Alpha and set to rule a pack, but had no control over his mate. He smirked to himself and sipped from his glass again. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

**White Wyrm**

The Wyrm was packed with its usual pack patrons and the old juke box was blasting out hits from the last two decades. Sabrina met them there, claiming that she needed time away from who she called the ‘witch bitches thrice’. They had hit the bar first, the bartender insisting that everything was on the house for his future Lumina and her friends.

“Elena Filler is my niece,” he explained. “You’ve already paid for your drinks in full after what you’ve done for her, no thanks to my idiot brother, rest his soul.”

After they grabbed their first drinks, Veronica dragged Betty out to the dance floor, swaying and slinking up against her to the beat of a rock song, complete with the extended version with the elongated guitar solo. It felt good to feel free and eighteen for a night, leaving her troubles at the coat check.

As the five of them gyrated and moved, blowing off steam, a few of the other wolves present pulled the girls up onto the bar top before climbing up themselves. 

While the men knew they had mates and were respectful as they danced with them, Betty, as future Lumina, didn’t feel comfortable partaking in such debauchery. This served as another reminder at just how different her life would be from theirs and then she thought of Polly. She had pictured Polly doing this very thing just a week ago. For a brief moment she thought about climbing up the barstool and hopping up with her friends, but then she thought of Jughead waiting for her back home and the proud look on FP’s face after the open forum last week.

Scanning the room, Betty realized she could use the night to her advantage. While the girls danced their hearts out, she circled the bar, mingling and chatting with all of the wolves present that night behaving every bit like the future Lumina ought to. 

When they descended from the stage, Cheryl, Sabrina, and Veronica opted to keep dancing, claiming it was the most fun way to burn off the calories from the alcohol, while Toni joined Betty for a game of pool with Joaquin and Moose.

They played for half an hour before their friends sank into a booth, exhausted, and they decided to join them.

“Alright, Betty,” Toni said, tossing back her shot of tequila before reaching for another. She claimed she had to rehydrate. Betty had never met anyone who rehydrated with tequila but who was she to judge. “Spill. What were you and Jughead doing before we left the lodge?”

Betty shrugged coyly and smirked at her friends, pretending as though she didn’t know what they were talking about. Fiddling with the handle of her glass, she casually sipped her Amaretto Sour, wanting to go slow since she wasn’t a big drinker.

Pack laws allowed drinking at age eighteen. Since Sheriff Keller was part of their pack, he let their drinking pass as long as it was confined to the Wyrm, which was a pack owned establishment. If a problem arose, here they took care of their own.

“There’s just… there’s a lot of factors about having a soulmate that aren’t talked about. They aren’t secret, it’s just since it’s  _ so _ rare, people have forgotten about them, especially our generation.”

Cheryl pulled the cherry from her red apple martini and bit the fruit off the stem, tossing the unwanted discard off to the side. “Whatever you were doing it looked like you were going to devour him in anger and then two minutes later you were just going to devour him. You know, in bed. Like sexy times. Like-”

“I get the picture,” Betty said, putting a hand up to stop her. “Jug and I can use our soulmate connection to talk to each other… in our heads.”

“Like telepathy?” Toni asked, intrigued.

“Sort of,” Betty said, squinting her eyes and wavering back and forth. “It’s like we are each other’s imaginary friends. I can think something and he can hear my voice, loud and clear.”

“Wow,” Toni said, impressed. “That will be infinitely useful in pack negotiations.”

“It’s also useful when Jughead wants to talk dirty at really inappropriate times,” Sabrina laughed. “Haven’t you seen Betty get all flushed and flustered out of nowhere a lot lately?”

“Sabrina!” Betty warned.

“Girl, you didn’t deny it,” she laughed, offering her glass up to clink in a toast. “To Jughead’s extensive vocabulary and very active imagination.”

Betty sighed and clinked her glass, knocking back more of the sweet concoction. “Guys, I know you have tons of questions, but can we  _ not _ talk about soulmate abilities or Lumina duties tonight? I just want to have some fun.”

“Speaking of fun,” Sabrina smiled. “Eyes at four-o’clock. Is that guy looking at me? Because he hasn’t blinked and he’s a ride I wouldn’t mind buying a ticket for.”

As if sensing she was talking about him, the man in question put down the pool cue he was leaning on and came her way. Sabrina stood from their table and winked at the girls. 

“I know I just got here, but I think my night just got much, much better. So, if you’ll excuse me…”

She met him halfway and they talked for a minute before heading out of the bar.

“And witches say  _ we _ mate too much,” Cheryl said with a roll of her eyes.

They closed out the Wyrm that night. On their walk home, they started howling up at the moon in jest and before they knew what was happening, had opted to take an early morning run in wolf form. Clothes were shed as they shifted, their thick fur blowing in the wind and their paws dug into the dirt, propelling them forward.

As Betty ran, she thought of Polly and waves of guilt washed over her. She tucked them away for now in favor of the anticipation of seeing her mate shortly. The nighttime run had gotten her blood flowing.

The alcohol clouded their reasoning and it wasn’t until Betty was back at the packhouse that she realized she didn’t have anything to put back on. Carefully, she unlocked the front door and cautiously tiptoed up to their bedroom, letting out a relieved breath when she made it there unseen. Leaning her head back against their bedroom door, she blew out a breath.

“Betty?” Jughead greeted her, amused. He had waited up to make sure she arrived home safely. “You seem to be missing a few things that you left home with.”

Betty giggled and ran forward, jumping up on the bed and straddling his lap. “I missed you,” she pouted, ruffling his hair. 

“I felt you all night,” he confessed. “You were happy, then proud, then sad, then happy again…”

Betty pecked kisses all over his face as he spoke. “Alcohol,” she explained.

“Hmmm,” Jughead hummed, skimming his hands up her bare back. “So, how much did you miss me?” He pecked kisses to her shoulders.

Betty shook her head and laughed. “Not  _ that _ much. I’m sleepy. Now, shirt off.”

“You’re sending mixed signals here, Betts,” Jughead smiled.

“I want that shirt to sleep in because it smells like you,” Betty whined, tugging at the collar. “I’ll feel all warm and safe.”

Shaking his head, he pulled the shirt up and over himself and helped her into it.

“You know, the  _ actual _ me is right here to keep you warm and safe. You don’t need my shirt. You can just cuddle up to me.”

“You’re  _ too _ warm,” Betty drawled as her speech slowed and her eyes drooped. “Now climb behind me and wrap your arms around me.”

Shaking his head and laughing at her nonsense, Jughead pulled back the covers and helped her in, Betty flopping down on his chest at once.

_ “I love Jughead so much,”  _ Betty shared with him as she fell asleep, jostled by the shaking in his chest as he chuckled. 

_ “I love Betty so much, too.” _

  
  


**Serpent Lodge**

**October 2019**

“Hey, can I talk to you guys for a minute?” Jughead whispered covertly to his friends.

He didn’t necessarily need to whisper with the darts flying and pool balls clacking around them, but he did nonetheless. Slinking from the main room, Cheryl, Toni, Archie, and Veronica followed him upstairs to his chambers where they found Betty reading quietly on the couch in the corner.

“Hey, guys,” she said concerned, showing her book under the pillow beside her. “What’s going on?”

Jughead ushered them all inside and closed the door, moving to the arm of the chair near where his mate sat.

“I need a favor,” Jughead confessed, gesturing towards the couch and other chairs for his friends to take a seat.

“Of course, bro,” Archie said in earnest. “We’re always here for whatever you need.”

“This  _ has _ to stay between us,” Jughead said. “I’m not supposed to meddle but I honestly can’t stay out of it this time.”

“Juggie, what’s happening?” Betty asked softly, placing her hand on his arm. She could feel like anxiety flowing over him like a tsunami across an island. She began to breathe steadily, willing him to calm down, and he tossed a grateful glance her way.

“Two weeks from now at the pack meeting -  _ intentions  _ begin,” Jughead reminded them. “So all of you guys will be deciding on your future here and what you’ll do; healer, military, pack relations…”

Cheryl flicked her hair back and smiled, pulling a small golden nail file from her purse. “Pack relations is my specialty,” she grinned. “All relations, really.”

“Cheryl,” Jughead sighed. “This is serious. Not only are typical pack jobs open to those of you now considered adults, but my Beta, defense chief, and Betty’s head councilwoman are all up as well.”

Veronica creased her eyebrows in and nodded. “And what does that have to do with us and secrecy?”

“Betty and I had discussed things in private the other night,” he began.

“You two have  _ got  _ to work on your post-coital pillow talk,” Cheryl said while filing her nails.

Ignoring her, Jughead continued. We have preferences of who we will let into our inner circle. Tonight I overheard Mr. Clayton and your Dad, Veronica, discussing nominating Chuck to be my Beta. I don’t trust him and I can’t work with someone I don’t trust. The Beta bond is for life.”

Veronica looked shocked and shook her head a bit, crossing her arms defensively. “Why would Daddy do that? I don’t see a benefit for him and he  _ can’t  _ think Chuck is the best choice. He’s basically feral.”

“Not sure,” Jughead shrugged. “I was hoping you could do a little digging and find out.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Toni asked, perched forward with her elbows on her knees.

Betty joined the conversation, no longer needing to calm her mate. “Jug and I can submit nominations, but we need someone to second them.”

“Arch,” Jughead said. “I want you to be my Beta. I trust you more than anything and if I nominate you and Cheryl is willing to second you, I think the council will vote my way.”

Archie dropped his jaw for a moment, flopping like a trout, before breaking into a wide grin.

“Me?” he said surprised. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m honored, but I’ve never had the highest marks or anything in the pack. Why me?”

“You’re genuine,” Jughead shrugged. “You’re loyal and the fact that you don’t have selfish aspirations and just good intentions for the pack is important to me. I trust you with my life, and more importantly, if I’m not around, with Betty’s.”

“And V, I need you to do me a favor and second my nomination for Toni as my head councilwoman,” Betty said as she smiled at Toni’s shocked look. “You are just the right combination of compassionate and fierce, Topaz. And I trust you.”

Toni pouted and reached forward to grab Betty’s knee. “You know I’ve got your back, girl.”

“Now that we settled that, we need you, Arch or Toni, to nominate Sweet Pea for my defense chief,” Jughead continued. “He’s been a great pack trainer, but he’s getting bored. He’s cunning and brave and he would be great for the job. We can worry about replacing him after. I could see Reggie training recruits. He loves to yell.”

Cheryl put her golden nail file away and examined her fingertips. “Whatever you need, Jones. You may be a soft miscreant, but you’re ours.”

After a bit more discussion everyone left, their plan set in motion. Jughead had walked them out and once the hall was clear he closed the door and turned towards his mate.

“That went well,” Betty smiled, hugging herself around her chest.

“It did,” Jughead nodded. “But that’s not what I’m interested in right now. What were you reading when I came in? I could feel your desire from downstairs.”

Betty blushed and shoved the reading material in question further under the throw pillow.

“Nothing.”

He smirked and advanced towards her. “Oh, that’s not nothing.”

Betty gave him a warning glare and covered the pillow with her body. “Leave it, Jug.”

His smirk turned mischievous as he ran at her, Betty’s shriek ringing throughout the quiet room. Lifting her up, he easily tossed her over his shoulder and, with his free hand, flipped the pillow and grabbed her reading material.

“Jughead Jones,” Betty growled. “You better-”

“Thirty-seven dirty things to do with your man?!” Jughead read aloud, feeling Betty’s embarrassment wash through him. “And you even bookmarked some to make this easier for me.”

“Jug!” she cried as he tossed her to the bed like a sack of potatoes.

He flipped open to one of her post-it’s. “Let your inner cowgirl out to play. Oh, I like that one,” he added, flipping to more sticky notes. “Blindfolds. Solo shows. Dirty talk. Betty, why were you blushing?  _ None _ of this sounds like a bad idea to me.”

Betty bit her lip and looked away. His hand was on her cheek turning her face back to him. “Hey, no secrets, right?”

“Cheryl reminded me that you may have more… creative tastes and I was worried that I…”

“Okay, not even sure where to begin unpacking that,” he said, shocked. “One, how would Cheryl even know what I like? I like her enough, but the  _ only _ person I’ve ever talked about sex with is you. Two, you are now, and always will be, enough for me, Betts. We are soulmates. You were made for me and that in itself is enough.”

Betty pouted and slid her hand across his jaw. “Jug,” she cooed affectionately.

Jughead took her palm from his face and dropped it back into her lap. “That being said, I am not opposed to anything you bookmarked here. In fact, I think I’d be interested in number twenty-one and saddling your inner cowgirl right now.”

Reaching between them, he slid her sundress up and over her head before turning her so that her back was to his chest before leaning forward, whispering a string of plans into her ear.

Betty molded beneath him, her embarrassment all but forgotten. “Well, yee-haw, Alpha.”

Later, as they lay in bed, Betty tracing small circles along his arms, she shot up in complete and utter fear, jumping from the bed and grabbing at her sundress.

Jughead scrambled from the sheets, his foot getting stuck as he tumbled to the floor. With a quick fix, he righted himself and stumbled until he was in front of her.

“What? What is it? Are you alright?”

“No, I am  _ so _ far from alright,” Betty stammered out, trying to find her shoe. “I didn’t take any of Hilda’s potions today.”

“Hilda’s pot- ohhhhh,” he said, eyes wide like hers now.

“Yes, ohhh. Very articulate. Now get dressed. We need to go see her and see if there’s anything she can do.”

Jughead began to dress, shuffling into his jeans and tossing a t-shirt over his head.

“Hey, your mom deals in herbs with Mrs. Klump. Wouldn’t she maybe have something we could try?”

Betty’s hands, which were wrapping an elastic around her ponytail, stilled and fell to her sides as she tossed him a horrified, disgusted look.

“Jughead, no. Just… no! What is it with you wolves and the parents and the pack and the talking about the private stuff  _ all _ the time!”

She was so worked up, and in retrospect, he shouldn’t have laughed, but he did. He couldn’t help it.

“Seriously?” Betty yelled at him. “Are you seriously laughing at me right now?  _ Normal _ humans  _ don’t  _ just casually talk about this with elders! Or- or get naked in fields and I don’t know! They don’t do anything we do!”

“Right,” he nodded. “But we  _ aren’t  _ humans, Betty. It’s not like they don’t know we are… mating. I mean you took an oath in front of two hundred fifty wolves to have my pups.”

He fingered the bite on her shoulder then. “And there’s this. They all know how and when you got it. It’s completely natural for us, Betts.”

The wave of annoyance that she sent his way was so thick it almost fogged his senses. He would have laughed again if not for the underlying current of fear he felt attached to it.

“Nevermind,” he said sweetly. “Let’s go see Hilda.”

Betty nodded in thanks and was out the bedroom door before he could even finish grabbing his shoes. Grabbing them to go, he sighed and ran after her.

“At least Hilda always has snacks,” he muttered as he ran.

**Spellman House**

The Spellman’s were only a ten-minute drive outside of town. Betty drove like she was auditioning for Mad Max Fury Road, Jughead’s knee bopping nervously up and down the whole while, more from the nerves that were pouring from his mate than from any worry of his own.

As they pulled up the driveway and cut the engine, Betty groaned and dropped her head to the steering wheel. FP, Alice, and Sabrina all sat in the garden drinking what appeared to be iced tea, chatting and laughing the afternoon away. 

“ _ Why _ are they always here?” Betty moaned. “I don’t understand!”

Jughead lifted her hand in his own, linking their fingers and pressing a kiss to the back of her skin. 

“I think with the pack laws, this may be the only place they can  _ be _ together, Betts. They don’t have to pretend here.”

Betty tossed him a glance, one that read ‘why do you have to be so smart’, before squeezing his hand and getting out of the car.

It wasn’t unusual for them to be there. The Spellmans were like aunts to Betty, and Jughead always showed up for food. Alice had forged alliances between the witches in Greendale and the pack many years ago before Polly was even born. Needing someone to practice her fae magic with and discuss the magical world. Hilda had become a close confidant of hers.

“Betty, Jughead,” Hilda grinned. “What a lovely surprise. You must have sniffed out my enchiladas all the way from Riverdale.”

Betty felt the excitement rush through her mate and tossed him a dirty look. Not only was now not the time, but it was the same rush she felt earlier when she kissed him. It was good to know that she ranked about as high as ground beef stuffed pastry shells in the scheme of things.

_ “Are you kidding me?”  _ she said to him internally.

_ “What? I’m hungry! It’s your own fault. I worked up an appetite holding you backwards while we-” _

“What are you doing here, Betty?” Alice probed gently. “Were you looking for us? Is everything alright?”

Betty shook her head and stuck out her bottom lip, clasping her hands behind her back. “All good here,” she blurted out. “We just wanted to get out of the lodge for a bit. The lounge is pretty busy today.”

FP eyed them both carefully, a small, not-quite grin tipping up the corner of his lip. “Is that so?”

Jughead rubbed at the back of his neck and Sabrina began to grin furiously.

“Bullshit,” Sabrina called. “There’s no way this is a social call. You want something.”

Betty shrugged and toed at the dirt, blushing a bit before she spoke. “Now that you mention it, we were hoping to talk with Hilda. Alone.”

Alice put down the tea she was holding and leaned forward. “What’s going on, Betty? 

Betty squared her feet defensively and crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing! Can’t we just come and chat with Hilda for a while? Is that so odd?”

“It’s a sex thing,” Sabrina blurted out, cackling at the dirty look Jughead shot her way and the complete embarrassment that washed over Betty’s face. “I’m right aren’t I?”

Jughead clenched his fists and Betty did as well, curving an arm up and out at her, pursing her lips in anger.

“Oh dear,” Hilda stammered. “Me? Well, I’m no expert, but I suppose I know a thing or two. Let’s see, well where are you troubled? Is it in the, uh, levitation department, if you catch my drift? Or perhaps igniting the fuse on fireworks at the end of the fair?”

“Sweet merciful, Wolf-Gods, take me now,” Jughead rumbled as he swiped a hand across his face. “Stop. Stop there, please. And if you can go back in time and make this never happen, please cast that spell.”

“Betty,” Alice warned, watching her daughter fidget back and forth.

“Fine,” Betty sighed. “Hypothetically, let’s say a wolf was given a…  _ special _ potion. And, hypothetically, she  _ forgot  _ to take said potion.”

Alice’s eyes narrowed and lips narrowed as she caught onto Betty’s declaration. Hilda, not so much.

“Well,” Hilda wavered. “It would depend on the potion. If it were for warts, well a day late would be alright. They grow back slowly. But if it’s for something more time-sensitive,” she laughed. “Well, then… well then… oh dear,” she stopped as she realized what Betty meant.

Alice flung her hands up in the air in frustration. “Two months, Betty! You couldn’t make it past two-months without thinking before taking off your pants?”

“Mom,” Betty sighed, tiredly. “It was an accident. It just all happened so fast.”

Alice barked out a laugh. “Last I checked, Betty, there’s time to think before your pants come off. Time to make good decisions. They weren’t enchanted pants. They didn’t just vanish!”

“To be fair, Alice,” Jughead interjected. “She was wearing a sundress, so.”

Alice yelled at a groan and glared at FP as if this was all his fault as Betty put her hands on her hips and glared at Jughead.

“Not helping, Jug!” Betty scolded him.

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Hilda, do you have any follytoad and phenylwart?”

Hilda gave Alice an affirmative nod and they retreated into the house to concoct a beverage for Betty.

Sabrina, still grinning in her chair, began a slow clap for the couple, red as ruby slippers, on the lawn. “Bravo. That was… that was probably the best damn thing I’ve seen in a long time. You always entertain me, Cooper.”

Jughead was poised on the edge of ripping her head off when he smelled it. FP and Betty both grew incredibly still and quiet as well.

“You smell that too, boy?” FP asked, quickly rising from his chair.

“What’s going on?” Sabrina asked, her question ignored.

“Should we shift?” Betty asked, adrenaline pumping through her body?

Jughead growled fiercely and pushed her behind his back protectively. “Get in the house, Betty.”

She shot him an angry look. “I can defend myself, Jug,” Betty warned him. “I could blast you out of here if I wanted to.”

Jughead’s face snapped towards hers, eyes wild. “And what if your mom’s concoction doesn’t work? What if by some small miracle you’re now carrying our pups? I won’t risk that. Now, Get. In. The. House.”

The front door opened and Alice and Hilda reappeared, their laughs dissolving as they took in the tense scene before them as a lone wolf emerged from the trees, coming into view.

Jughead didn’t wait for small talk or explanation, but instead shifted on the spot, charging at the wolf, FP right behind him.

They clashed mid-air, jaws gnashing against each other's skin, snarls resounding across the lawn. FP stood back slightly, growling, ready to jump in the fray at a moment's notice.

“Stop!” Sabrina began to shriek, running across the grass as Jughead’s paw slashed clean across the other wolf’s face. “Stop hurting him!”

The wolf shifted on the spot, his human form prone and cradling his side-wound. “Enough!” he cried out. “I’m sorry! I don’t mean any harm!”

With his jaws an inch from his throat, Jughead leaned forward and inhaled deeply. Not recognizing his scent, he stepped back slowly before shifting back himself, his tall frame immediately looming over the other werewolf.

“Who are you? Who sent you?” he yelled, as FP shifted and came to join him as well.

“I’m Malachi!” the wolf stammered. “I’m just on a year-long cross-country trip with some of my buddies! I’m from the Bushfern Pack in Montana!”

“Liar!” Jughead growled. “You’re with Stonewall! Now, who sent you?”

“Jughead,” FP said softly. “Boy, he’s telling the truth.”

Jughead glanced over at FP who was nodding at him calmly.

“The Stonewall Pack have brands burned into their forearms,” FP explained. “He’s clean.”

Jughead took a step back and looked down at the trembling boy as Sabrina broke out in front of him, throwing her arms around the wolf’s neck.

“Mal,” she cried. “Are you alright? I’m  _ so _ sorry that my quasi-family are savages!”

Jughead sneered at Sabrina. “Mal? How do you know him?”

Helping him to his feet, Sabrina linked an arm under his and around his back, allowing him to lean some of his weight against her.

“We met at the Wyrm. He and his friends were drooling over the girls and I. We just kind of hit it off,” she shrugged.

Jughead looked skeptical and placed his hands on his hips. “Kind of convenient, don’t you think? We have strange wolves after us and one just happens to be attracted to you?”

“Screw you, Jones,” Sabrina spat. “Not everything is about you!”

A sudden cry from the lawn stopped all the bickering at once as all eyes made their way up to Betty, her gaze frantic and her fingers clawing at her skin as her body sunk to the ground.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So there’s a lot of background in this chapter, some set up for the future, and some sexy times since you Bughead babes love your dirty times and keep messaging me for more 😂. Parts of this chapter were a bit out of my comfort zone, but that is why I started writing fic here anyway! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! It keeps getting wild after this!
> 
> Thanks to Jandy for the suggestions, edits, encouragement and support, especially in this chapter!

**Spellman Household**

The silence on the front lawn of the Spellmans was eerie as they watched the scene play out before them. Betty was sure that her heartbeat was audible and the fire in her skin could be felt by those nearby. Her limbs began to tremble and her tongue felt thick and swollen, her pulse raced at just the sight of her mate who was watching her wide-eyed and wild, as he stood over Malachi’s beaten form.

“Betty…” he called huskily, as she panted before him.

“Jug,” she managed to choke out. “What’s- what’s happening. Oh god, I’m on fire. I can’t-” 

Betty struggled to explain herself as her body erupted in fire, like flames licking shingles off a roof. She had no idea where the sudden scorching came from. She had been watching Jughead defend her and something deep within her had snapped. An itch pricked up her spine, spreading through her nerve endings and reaching her most private places.

“Hilda,” Alice said softly.

“Right,” Hilda said nervously. “I’m on it. I’ll just go get the… I’m on it.”

As Hilda ran towards the house, Jughead ran back up the incline towards the house and crouched down.

He grabbed her by the shoulder, calling softly, “Betty? Betts, stay with me. Are you alright?” It was only when he was on top of her, his hand cradling her chin, that he could smell it. Smell her. It was a pheromone that was distinctly Betty and it was the strongest he had ever detected. Her pupils were dilated larger than he’d ever seen and he could hear her heart beating loudly in his ears.

“I- I don’t-” she stammered out gruffly, before gripping him by the ears and latching her lips onto his, pressing her body up against him as tightly as she possibly could and that was when he felt it. An explosion of need that could rival Chernobyl flooded his senses, seemingly emanating from Betty, shared through their bond. He could feel her wanton lust and the dee ache she felt for him and his body began to reciprocate the feeling.

Her scent overwhelmed him completely. She rubbed up against him shamelessly, kissing him urgently and he couldn’t breathe. He dropped his nose down to sniff along their mark and his teeth were instantly aching to bite her again. Jughead was barely aware of the growling that emanated from his chest as he mouthed at her mark. Betty all but whimpered in his ear.

Hilda came running from the house with a small bag of glass vials, only to dig her heels into the dirt and stop short.

“Oh dear,” she cried at the scene before her. “We’re going to need a lot more of this brewed up, aren’t we?”

“FP,” Alice warned, moving towards Betty as he nodded and moved towards his own son. With a great deal of snarling and protest, they pulled the two apart, holding them tightly, leaving a decent gap of space between them.

“Mom,” Betty panted, struggling to get out of her mother’s arms. “What’s- what’s happening? You need to let me go. I need-”

“Drink these,” Alice said, soothing the damp hair off of Betty’s neck as she took and uncorked two of Hilda’s viles, tipping them down Betty’s throat.

Betty was now quite familiar with the pungent odor and putrid taste of the contraception potion she had been taking but was surprised to see FP forcing one down the throat of a struggling Jughead. The second vile was unfamiliar but tasted equally as awful.

“Listen,” Alice spoke calmly. “Betty, you’re in heat. Your body is not your own right now and neither is your mind. It’s all instinctual. You need to remember to take this potion every twelve hours unless you want Alpha pups appearing next spring.”

“Betty’s heat has triggered your rut, boy. About the right time of year, I’d say, early for your age though. Myles and Sierra warned this could happen, but we weren’t as careful as we should have been. You need to drink this when Betty does. No messing around here.”

Shoving his father away, Jughead swallowed the vile liquid before pulling Betty away from Alice and protectively back into his own arms, the sight of even her own mother embracing her aggravating his wolf.

_ “I can’t control this,”  _ she whispered to him shakily.  _ “I feel like I’m dying. I’ll die if you don’t touch me. You have to touch me, Juggie.” _

Regardless of the audience, Jughead lowered his mouth, open and wet, on hers again. Betty dug her fingernails into his biceps and pulled herself as tightly as she could into him.

FP sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking at Alice. “Someone better get them home before we have a pretty vivid scene playing out on the lawn here. I’ll clear the packhouse for a few days and we’ll see where we are at by the end of the week.”

Alice had averted her eyes and was watching Hilda and Sabrina instead; Hilda looked overjoyed and Sabrina grinned as though she had just nailed the juiciest gossip in the world. 

“I’ll take them back,” Sabrina offered, grinning. “Better me than either of you. God knows what’s going to happen in my car. I’ll catch you later, Mal. Aunt Hilda’s got some steaks in the freezer if you want to ice that eye before you go.”

Grabbing her keys and the extra vials from Hilda, Sabrina headed over to her Jeep, clicking the unlock button and popped open the back door.

“Betty,” Alice called once, receiving no response. “Betty!”

Quickly she pulled back from Jughead, her limbs twitching, before glancing at her mother.

“Make sure you remember to take the potion,” Alice said forcefully as Betty nodded.

FP tugged Jughead by the back of the neck in a show of dominance, turning him to face him. “Don’t lose your head, boy,” he warned him. “You take care of her, alright.”

Jughead nodded curtly before grabbing Betty and all but throwing her into Sabrina’s car, Alice rubbing her forehead as the Jeep pulled away from the house.

“You alright?” FP asked her, squeezing a pressure point on her shoulder.

“Am I alright?” she growled at him. “My eighteen-year-old daughter is already in heat thanks to a soulmark with your Alpha son and we basically just handed them a box of condoms and said ‘go have fun.’ I am  _ so  _ far from all right! They’re barely mated. They should have years before this happened! And I shouldn’t know about it!”

“Alice,” FP sighed softly.

“She’s too young to be pregnant,” Alice finally spat out. “She’s supposed to have more time than I did. Time to enjoy their young life together.”

Wrapping his arms around her from behind, FP rested his chin atop her head. “They are smart, Ally. They have enough of what Hilda made and more importantly, they love each other. They aren’t us. There is no Hal. It’s just nature taking its course. We do have to be careful that no one finds out about this, though. A heat and a rut without pups will be very suspicious. Their adherence to pack law may be called into question. But you let me worry about that.”

Sniffling, Alice leaned back against him, chest heaving as she attempted to stop her spray of tears, nodding her head in acquiescence, watching as the Jeep disappeared from sight.

**Serpent Pack House**

**Tuesday**

**Betty and Jughead’s room**

There was no preamble and there were no words. She had rubbed up against him, biting at his lips the whole car ride home as she was torn apart from the inside out. When the car had finally stopped, Jughead had lifted her from the back seat and carried her into the house with no recognition or thanks to Sabrina for the ride. He marched them straight to their bedroom and pressed her up against their oak dresser, as she pleaded with him to make the burning stop.

Her muscles quivered uncontrollably as she pulled him closer to her, making it difficult to remove the layers between them.

“Please,” she cried out into his neck. “Please make it stop, Jug. I can’t- it’s too much. I need-”

As controlled and poised as he had been for years, and still tried to be in public, Jughead was untamed and animalistic in bed since they had mated, pushing every boundary she had. This added element only reduced his control further. His mouth slammed over hers, only to pull back quickly, his fingertips digging into her hips and turning her to face away from him. Betty angled her jaw up so as not to lose contact while her tongue licked at his, starving for his affections.

Wanton and completely gone, she shifted her thighs outward, and he slid his hands up her bare legs and under her dress. He divested her of her undergarments with a quick tear before bending her forward over the top of the wooden furniture, running his hand over the smooth skin of her backside.

“Jughead, please,” Betty begged, looking back up and over her shoulder as his left hand pressed on her back to keep her prone.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he whispered, pulling the straps and top of her dress, and bra along with it, down her shoulders to fall at her waist. “I’m going to take care of you.”

Jughead smirked to himself. He could feel her desperation and felt a rush of pride in his chest. He felt like a bit of a jerk, teasing her, but he couldn’t help himself. He had all the control and he had to admit, it felt good.

“Do you want me to take control, Betty?” he breathed erratically against her ear, his palm sliding down her spine and her backside. “Do you want me to take you right here?”

Betty couldn’t answer him. At the moment she cursed the day she shifted and became a werewolf. Her need was unbearable and unquenchable. Her body felt empty and aching. She hated it. She loved it.

_ “Juggie, I can’t,”  _ she silently pleaded with him.

Jughead pulled at her wrist, taking the hair elastic she always wore around it. She never made it a full day without putting her hair in a ponytail and the spare tie would come in handy now. Piling her hair together, he wrapped the elastic around her blonde curls, letting her neck breathe as her skin emanated heat.

“You can’t what, Betty?” he pressed, tugging her ponytail back.

_ “I just can’t,”  _ she repeated, unable to think.

He began a trail down her shoulder with the tip of his nose, letting his lips brush against her skin every so often, her body shaking almost violently by that point. His fingernails digging into the skin of her hip bones grounded him and it was all he could do not to concede to the madness of his rut. But he couldn’t. He would t. He needed to make this good for her. That was his job as her Alpha.

His lip curled up as he took in the sight. “Look at you. Your skin is all pink and flushed and you’re begging for me.” He licked over their mate bite. “I’m the only one who gets to see you like this. The only one who gets to hear you scream and touch your skin like this.”

“Juggie,” she pleaded, frantically bending to find much-needed friction.

“I’m the only one who knows that this spot on your shoulder makes you hot and ready. I’m the only one who knows you whimper when I scratch at your hip bone.” He proceeded to do so. 

_ “ _ I am the only one who will know where your body is if you don’t get in me, Jug,” she cried in desperation, pressing back against him.

He grabbed at her hips forcefully, stilling her and biting at her earlobe. “I’m the only one who will  _ ever  _ put their pups in you.” With that he was inside her, his teeth sinking into her shoulder as Betty yelled out in beautiful agony. The dresser shook, knocking knick-knacks to the floor left and right as Betty shattered, her ache subsiding for the moment, his heavy weight pressing her down onto the dresser

They had always been fluid, singular together, but in their current states and through their soulmate connection, waves of ecstasy rolled back and forth between them, drawn-out and prolonged as they transferred the sensations back and forth to one another.

He remained connected with her for a while before he became aware that he was probably crushing her. Stepping back, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bed, cursing himself for the scrapes and bruises on her legs from the brass hardware on the dresser drawers.

Tracing the purple marks, he watched her hips twist, and her finger curl into fists, back arching seemingly without her knowledge. He traced a path around her bellybutton with his thumb, hand splayed over the expanse of her waist.

“You still need me.” It wasn’t a question. He could feel her need building again, slightly sated only moments before.

As he caught her gaze and halted the movement of his thumb, he shared with her his thoughts.

_ “Can I tell you a secret?”  _ He stared at her  _ intensely _ , bared open for only her.  _ “Just now, back there with you bent over the dresser, I hoped the potion failed. I wanted it to. I wanted your body to absorb mine. To clash with mine. To create with mine. I wanted our pups. Even though we’re young. I wanted them.” _

At another time, in another scenario, this might have terrified Betty, but her heat-addled brain, riddled with hormones, was screaming the same thing.

With her breathing harsh and erratic, she gazed back at him, eyes wide and awake.  _ “I wanted it, too. Every cell in my body was calling for you and is calling for you again, now. Take care of me, Jug. Please, Alpha.” _

_ “I’ll take care of you, mate. I know what you need… what your body needs. Do you trust me?” _

“Yes,” Betty spoke, softly, her voice trembling. She was very aware of how vulnerable she was at this moment but she trusted him implicitly. “Show me how you need me, Alpha.”

“On your belly, now,” he demanded, a feral grin spreading across his face as he lost himself to the haze.

Betty glanced up at him, momentarily shocked and looked as if she were going to challenge him, but something in his eyes told her not to.

At her lack of movement, he spoke again. “You heard me. Don’t make me wait.”

  
  


**Wednesday**

**Pack House**

**FP’s Office**

As promised, FP had cleared out the packhouse, sans himself. He relocated temporarily to a cot he set up in his office but figured someone should be around to leave food and water to ensure that Betty and Jughead took care of themselves. He sat at his desk, feet propped up on the smooth wood, flicking his old pocket knife open and closed repeatedly. 

The knife had been a gift from his father on his sixteenth birthday. He wished he could say it was a good memory, but good and his father didn’t generally belong in the same sentence unless the phrase, ‘good riddance’ was being used. 

Two nights before his birthday, an issue had arisen during a council meeting. One of the members, Edgar Evernever, had voiced his concerns regarding the unnecessary punishments and extreme nature of violence that had recently been present in the pack. In two months, four of the pack youth had been jumped by other pack members. He saw wives of the pack sporting black eyes, and no less than fourteen brawls had broken out at the White Wyrm. Pop Tate’s Chock'Lit Shoppe had even seen its share of violent behavior and the humans in town were beginning to talk about the beginnings of a ‘gang’ due to the violent scenes.

Edgar had pleaded with FP the first to send out a pack warning and urged him to reign in and control some of the more rogue members. He shared that the majority of the pack did not feel safe anymore and had considered seeking refuge elsewhere if things didn’t change.

FP could recall the smirk on his father’s face. Some would have said it was amused, but he knew the difference. He had seen that cruel smirk too many times before, usually followed by a backhand to the face or a boot to the ribs. He flicked his blade open again as he recalled the next set of events.

“So, what would you have me do, Edgar?” the Alpha had asked, casually rising from his chair. “Would you have me silence the  _ passionate  _ members of this pack? The ones with balls? The members who are not afraid to get dirty? Who are ride or die...”

Edgar swallowed and took a step back, his eyes wide and now unsure about his actions. “I just want the pack to survive, FP. I want it to flourish.”

The Alpha pursed his lips and nodded, linking his hands behind his back as he paced the floor. He paused for a moment and whispered something to Francis Blossom who nodded before exiting the hall.

“And what makes you think I don’t want the pack to flourish, Edgar?” he asked gently, almost dangerously so.

Edgar looked taken aback by the question and staggered back a bit, looking around the room for support. “That’s not what I meant to imply, Alpha. I meant that I felt I should bring this up because you, having the best interest of the pack at heart, would see that it be done.”

The Alpha nodded and placed a hand over his chest. “At heart, you say? Maybe that’s the problem, Edgar. Maybe you have too much of that. Do you think  _ heart _ will protect our pack? Do you think  _ heart  _ will keep other packs from taking our women and our land?”

“I-”

A stomping of feet and a woman’s scream halted whatever augment Edgar was about to make as the doors reopened and Francis returned pulling Edgar’s wife, Evelyn, along behind him.

Edgar’s eye’s imitated those of an owl as his gaze shot from his wife up to a sneering FP the first, while his son sat nearby, quietly looking on in fear.

Evelyn thrashed against Francis but she was half his size. He yanked her forcefully and tossed her to the floor in front of the Alpha. Though she braced herself with her hands, the ‘thump’ of her body sounded loud in the high-ceiling room.

“Do you know what makes this pack run, Edgar?” the Alpha asked. “Me. Plain and simple.  _ I  _ carry out the laws.  _ I  _ decide on our business.  _ I  _ decide the punishments.”

The Alpha yanked Evelyn to her feet, pulling her head back by her strawberry blonde curls. She stared at her husband in complete terror.

“Perhaps I’ll try it your way though, Edgar. Even though you come to  _ my  _ council meeting and belittle  _ me,  _ I will do as you ask and have a heart. I won’t kill you, Edgar.”

Pulling a pocket knife from his belt loop, he popped the blade open. FP could already sense what was about to transpire, and maybe Edgar could as well, but it was too late. The Alpha lifted his blade and in one quick move, he cut a sharp line across Evelyn’s throat. FP and Edgar both moved at once, lunging towards the front. The Alpha’s fist met with FP’s nose and the cracking of bone was drowned out by Edgar’s screams as he cradled his wife, now limp in his arms.

“You dare defy my ruling, boy?” the Alpha spat at his son. “You want me to show you some heart as well?”

Two days later, on his birthday, FP attended a secret funeral for Evelyn. His father had forbidden any pack services for her since her husband had ‘brought shame on the pack.’ A few wolves took to the woods early that morning to bury her quietly and say a few words. That evening, his father had taken him out behind the packhouse, far from prying eyes. He stared at him a long while, hands on his hips, cigarette in his mouth before suddenly taking the same knife from his belt loop and jabbing it into his son’s shoulder blade.

“For you,” he said, spitting on the ground before him. “May it serve as a reminder of what happens if you ever backstab or cross me again, publicly or in private. Happy birthday, son. Keep the knife.”

Closing the blade, FP took his feet down from his desk and tucked the memory of that night away again. Glancing at the clock he saw it was about one. He stood to head to the kitchen to grab some lunch to leave outside of his son’s room. His father was a monster. His father was a snake. Maybe that’s why he was so invested in Jughead’s wellbeing and so proud when Betty stood up for someone at the pack meeting. He had a heart and so did they. Smiling to himself smugly he thought, “If only you could see us now, Dad.”

**Betty and Jughead’s Room**

“Strip.”

His words were dripping with a regnant flare as he sat perched on the edge of the bed. Betty stood before him, dressed in a simple silk nightie. They had barely been clothed in the past twenty-four hours, but she wanted the soft comfortability of the fabric while she napped earlier and had slipped that on. That tranquility was now over.

“Strip,” Jughead repeated calmly a second time when she neglected to listen. “I don’t want to say it again.”

Betty shivered, though not from the cold or fear. She slid one blue silk strap down her shoulder, followed by the other, and let the nightgown fall to the floor as he glanced over her appraisingly. He had never been into pastels, but when her skin flushed beneath his touch, Betty Jones pink had quickly become his favorite shade. 

He watched her for a long time, leaving her vulnerable under his intense gaze before pulling her closer between his legs. Jughead ran his palm up her sternum and to her throat before trailing it back down, repeating the action once more before leaving his thumb at her pulse point, his fingers wrapped around the back on her neck.

“Do you like that?” he asked gently, tipping her chin to force her to look down at him.

“Yes,” she whispered, swallowing hard. She had been some variation of a wanton rag doll since her heat began and his gruff commands only further served to diminish her resolve.

He smirked at her visible gulp and tightened his grip. “Be a good girl and I’ll replace my fingers with my tongue.”

At her whimper he chuckled aloud, pouting back at her when her lips drooped downward at his laugh. Sliding his palm back down, he gripped at her hips and pressed kisses right under her bellybutton.

Flicking his tongue out quickly before returning to light kisses, he sighed against her skin. “Did you like that?”

Betty nodded, just barely. The combination of her heat, his voice, and his complete control had left her a trembling mess.

Jughead pulled back abruptly. “Use your words, Betty.”

“Yes,” she breathed heavily as he grinned again, cockily.

“That seems to be the only word in your vocabulary tonight, my mate. Let’s test that theory out, shall we?”

Jughead stood, pushing her back gently, before shifting her around so they had switched places, her knees now to the back of the bed. “Lay down,” he commanded. 

Covered in a layer of goosebumps from his touch and sweat from his heat, she lay back on the bedspread, yelping as he pulled her forward so her hips were at the edge of the mattress. Jughead dropped to his knees and began to immediately suck a bruise into the skin of her inner thigh and she canted wildly beneath him in complete desperation.

“Jughead, please,” Betty begged. “Please don’t tease me. I need you.”

He ignored her pleas and continued sucking deep, purple bruises into her thighs so match the fingerprints he had left on her hips over the past few days. His body was littered with matching marks as well.

“But I promised to replace my fingertips with my lips,” he teased, moving to kiss up her stomach to her collarbone, biting lightly when he got there. “Didn’t you say you wanted that?”

With a frustrated groan, Betty hooked her legs around his hips and pulled his hips flush against hers. “No,” she demanded. “I want you in me, no-”

She never finished as her words were replaced with a howl as he pressed into her quickly, his hips meeting hers with vigor as she arched up off the bed in complete rapture and delight.  _ This  _ was what her body needed… what nature was craving. Jughead dragged his hands up her arms and pinned them above her head, angling his body more heavily over hers and pressing their foreheads together.

“And is this what you need?” he panted out as they moved, only spurred on more at her gasping out, ‘yes’. He could feel her body tensing beneath him and covered her mouth with his own, swallowing her declaration of need as she trembled beneath him, following her only moments later. 

As their aftershocks began to dwindle, he kissed her sweetly and took in the exhausted air about her. Betty’s arms had gone limp and her eyelids were soft and low. She had been through the wringer since her heat began and he had no idea how she was still functioning. He was exhausted beyond anything he’d ever felt before.

He moved to pull away and she took her arms from over her head and wrapped them around his back, holding him to her tight. “Don’t leave,” Betty simpered quietly. “Not yet. Just… stay with me.”

His back hurt from the angle so he adjusted them slightly, sliding them more fully into the bed. “I won’t go anywhere,” he promised. “But I do need to get off of you or I will crush you and you’ll need water soon. You need to stay hydrated, love.”

Jughead shifted them so they lay side by side facing one another, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Betty leaned to catch his lips, trading soft, lazy kisses for a few moments as her body calmed itself, the need to touch him in one way or another was still strong. After long minutes, she yawned, blushing as he laughed and placed one last kiss on her nose. 

Turning over, he reached for the water bottle on the nightstand and held it up to her lips, urging her to drink. Betty hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until the cool liquid touched her lips. She drank greedily and he drank when she was done. Jughead placed the bottle back in the nightstand before turning back to his mate, only to find her fast asleep at his side. 

With her body sated, her features were relaxed and at ease. It was rare to see her so unguarded and the sight ballooned in his chest, his rib cage burned with the depth of his emotion. Smiling to himself, he brushed an errant wisp of hair from her face before covering them both with the blankets and pulling her close, quickly following her to sleep.

**Pop’s Chok’lit Shoppe**

**Thursday**

Onion rings, fries, and milkshakes were spread across the tables as eight friends sat around munching and catching up. Between the start of their college courses, preparing to declare their future intentions in the pack and their own responsibilities, they hadn’t had as much time as normal to just hang out in the past two weeks.

“So, what are you guys planning to declare at pack intentions next week?” Kevin asked.

“I’m asking to train with Mrs. Klump, working with herbs and healing,” Ethel shared. “ I feel that’s my strength and the best way I can help the pack. Dilton is going for pack security. He’s the best tracker in our grade so I’m sure he’ll get a spot.”

“My dad wants me to choose the military,” Kevin shared. “But I think I’m more suited for pack relations, particularly as a peace-keeping liaison between other packs… or publicizing our businesses. My magnetic personality is more than effective in conniving the masses into opening their wallets.”

Veronica took the last sip from her coffee shake, wiping up a drip from the side of her glass with her thumb and sucking it into her mouth. She sought to change the topic since they couldn’t divulge their secret plans in regards to intentions until it was time. “I wonder if we should have all tried something new. Josie said that she loves everything about New York. She even loves the subway smell and the lingering scent of the Chinese food from the restaurant she lives above.”

Toni wrinkled up her nose and shook her head, leaning back against the red vinyl booth. “Nah-uh. I don’t consider myself to be as high maintenance as Josie is and I would not be okay with my threads smelling like Kung Pao Chicken and Pork Lo Mein all the time. That girl is lying through her teeth.”

“But she’s chasing her dream, ya know,” Archie sighed. “She’s living for the music and her dream. Maybe if I-”

“No!” Nine voices around the table chorused, pausing for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Kevin reached over the booth and patted Archie’s hand kindly before reaching back to his side of the table. “Oh, Archie. We love you, we really do. And we supported your ill-attempted foray into the musical world back in high school, but now, honestly…”

“We’d rather listen to whale songs,” Cheryl finished.

Archie grumbled for a minute before a slow smirk came across his face and he shrugged, conceding that his friends may be right. “Yeah, well it’s not like any of you have better, more lucrative hobbies either.”

“Dilly does,” Ethel sang sweetly from her seat, Dilton grinning as he open-mouth chomped his gum and swung an arm over her shoulder. “His online supernatural book series is now a virtual RPG that he designed.”

Their friends stared blankly back at Ethel. If the proud demeanor she was exhibiting wasn’t so endearing they probably would have laughed at her as well. Ethel could tell.

“It’s really cool guys and we’re all characters, right, Dilly?”

Still snapping his gum, Dilton readjusted his glasses and grinned at his mate. “The concept is so original that it just took off. These creatures merge with their mates in the game, forming one super character. Varchie are knife yielders and cunning strategists, Choni can wield fire and ice, and Bughead have telepathic powers to cripple enemies.”

Fangs slurped up the rest of his shake, hoping the straw in his mouth would silence him from sharing his thoughts on Dilton’s creation. When no one else spoke, he cleared his throat and filled the silence. “Speaking of… Bughead… has anyone seen our fearless leaders as of late?”

“We have to run,” Ethel interrupted. “Dilton has a meeting with his investors soon.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Come Queen Ethelendel, let us away.”

When they were out of earshot their friends finally caved in to their giggles.

“God, I shudder to think what goes on in that bedroom,” Kevin grimaced, before changing the subject again. “But back to our future leaders… Betty hasn’t texted me in three days. That’s a record for us.”

Heads shook around the table. “FP mentioned some pressing pack business that’s been dominating their time when I asked yesterday,” Veronica shared. 

A familiar cackle blasted out loud as Sabrina leaned over the booth, Malachi turning to kneel and peek over as well. “Oh, there is  _ plenty _ of pressing and dominating business going on in that packhouse right now, but none that concerns the whole pack.”

“Sabrina,” Cheryl greeted her, annoyed. She had little patience for the loud, arrogant witch. “And what would  _ you _ know of pack business and how dare you speak of it in front of your  _ human _ .”

“One, you soulless, red-headed mutant, he isn’t human. He’s a werewolf here on a trip with friends. Two, I happen to know what Betty and Jug are up to because  _ I  _ saw them and  _ I  _ drove them back to your packhouse while they attempted to make alpha pups in my backseat.”

Toni shot Sabrina a look and laughed. “Okay, now I  _ know  _ you are lying. Betty would  _ never  _ act like that in public. She’s the shyest wolf I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, well Betty didn’t have much control over herself or her  _ hot _ natural urges. Her  _ fiery _ needs- if you catch my drift,” Sabrina snapped, causing the patrons in the other booth to pause.

“Bree,” Veronica gasped. “Are you saying that Betty…”

“Is having her hearth heated? Yeah, she’s making a firestorm of love, getting the key put in her ignition, and sparks are flying as Jones stokes her hot spot.”

Archie still looked dumbfounded as everyone else sat, shocked. Seeing his confusion, Sabrina rolled her eyes. “She’s in heat, you moron.”

Hearing her puns was one thing, but hearing the actual admission aloud was another. 

“But she’s only eighteen,” Cheryl stammered. “We’re only eighteen.”

Sabrina shrugged and turned to sit back on her side of the booth. “Yeah well, it can be earlier for Alpha mates and soulmates so they were kind of screwed on both accounts. Enjoy your chow, dogs. Oh, and see you at the carnival this weekend?”

Despite their rivalry and teasing nature, they really did get along.

“Thanks for the info, girl,” Toni yelled over the seat. “See you there.”

“Well, shit,” Fangs said in wonderment. 

“Poor Betty,” Veronica said softly. “She’s too young for pups. She and Jughead just got to be together.”

“Pups,” Cheryl exclaimed. “That’s where your mind went? Because mine was a little less family rom-com and a little more back-room video store.”

“Seriously,” Kevin agreed. “As much as I didn’t want to know about Ethel and Dilton’s bedroom, I would love to know what’s going on in the Jones chambers’ tonight.”

  
  


**Pack House**

**Betty and Jughead’s room**

**Friday**

Betty lay strewn across Jughead’s chest, her head resting against him as he sat propped up against the headboard and pillows. Wrapped up in the sheets, they enjoyed this moment of quiet and brief respite from the relentless force spurred on by her heat and Jughead’s rut. He had been feeding her bits of cantaloupe and honeydew that had been diced up and left by their door along with water, some sliced meats, walnuts, and bread. He was grateful for that.

Jughead held up another piece of fruit to her lips, she smiled and gratefully accepted it, sighing as he absentmindedly stroked her back. She could feel her desire building again but was trying to abate it. Betty was mentally and physically exhausted. Since they had entered the room he had taken her apart and put her back together more times than she could count.

She couldn’t fathom how unmated wolves dealt with this on their own or with a random pack member. Heat was so raw and unguarded. In the height of each wave, she’d felt impuissant and exposed, something she could only ever see herself experiencing with Jughead.

“Betty?” Jughead hummed into her shoulder, pressing a light kiss there. 

Contentedly, she sighed and glanced up at him, only humming in response. The warm cadence of his voice washed over her like the sun, heating her from the inside out.

“I wanted to talk about what I said the other day...about us having pups.”

Betty sat up then, dragging the sheet with her and tucking it under her arms. Jughead didn’t like the feeling of disconnect so he shifted himself behind her, pulling her back to lay against him again and wrapped one arm around her rib cage and the other over her collarbone, letting his lips rest against her ear.

“I meant what I said, Betty,” he said firmly, his warm breath tickling her skin. “It may be instinct taking over from my rut, but I have the strongest desire for you to be with child right now. My child.”

“Jug,” Betty gasped, attempting to pull forward to turn to him, but he tightened his arms and his grip on her to hold her firmly in place.

“I keep picturing your belly flared and our scents mixed together.” He nipped at her earlobe, dropping his hand, open-palmed, to rest over her stomach. “I see you rocking him to sleep. I see me teaching her how to run.”

Betty tipped her head back against him and tilted to look up at his eyes, biting her bottom lip. She pushed the wisps of hair from his eyes that hung there and smiled softly but shook her head.

“Jughead, I’m only eighteen and I spend most of my days with a guard on my tail. I don’t let loose when I go out with friends. I make sure I’m respectful to all the members of the pack. We’re going to be council members soon, my sister is missing, and an entire pack wants me dead, or worse.  _ I’m just eighteen. _ ”

Betty pushed his arms from her body and turned to straddle him, sliding her palm across his jaw and locking eyes with him. “Jug, I  _ do _ want to make babies with you. I  _ do _ . It’s just, there is  _ so  _ much happening right now. There are so many changes in my life and that change… that change is  _ huge _ . Can you understand that?”

Jughead rubbed his nose against hers before leaning in to kiss her chastely. “I do. I understand. I’m not saying my feelings are well thought out or logical, but I thought you should still know just in case my Alpha-juice was stronger than that potion.”

Betty giggled against his lips and wrapped her arms firmly around his neck. “I’ll consider myself warned. And if it  _ does _ happen this heat, just know I wouldn’t be lost or despondent. Having pups with you could never be a bad thing.”

Jughead’s expression was serene and full of love, but just as quickly his lips turned down. “Alpha’s are supposed to try to make to pups during their first rut after mating. If the pack finds out you’re in heat and you don’t wind up pregnant, they may start to question us, Betty. We are breaking pack law by taking that potion. I’m glad we take it, but I just want us to be cautious..”

“Listen,” Betty reassured him. “My mom and your dad know we are taking it. They practically force-fed it to us. I’m sure everything is fine and if it’s not, we will figure out something. The most important thing is that we’re doing this together. The same team.”

“Have I told you that I love you recently?” he asked smiling, comforted by her logic.

“Only a time or two… dozen.” Straddling his lap earlier had ignited her desires all over again. He saw her chest flush and the pink crept up her neck to her cheeks. Her pupils dilated and her lips fell open, her tongue peeking out to lick them.

That was his undoing. That tiny pink hint of her tongue. The things she could do with that tongue. His lips were on hers and he demanded entrance to her mouth not so subtly, but also without force. While she was still in need, it seemed like her desire had peaked and she was less frenzied today. Their couplings thus far had been fast and demanding and he wanted to slow things down and savor the moment. 

“Soft,” he mumbled against her skin, kissing her mate mark before kissing their soulmark. “Slow this time.”

“Okay,” she whispered, kissing him lazily and sloppy, relishing in the moment. They seldom had time for haphazard and slow affections since their schedules were so busy. Heat had them frenzied for days, but now they had the time to explore softly.

Nestling deer into the blankets, soft kisses led to soft touches and whispered promises, neither ready nor willing to greet the world outside.

  
  


**Stonewall**

Polly had been in the dark for days. She was cold, hungry and her heart ached for home. She had been so sure of her plan. How could everything have gone so wrong so very quickly? Because of her, Betty, her mother, and the Joneses were in danger and Jason was somewhere in this hell hole. 

She should have known better. If a pack was willing to hurt and deceive another pack, why should she have expected them to honor their agreement with her? Even if they did, would it have been worth the cost?

She had been  _ so  _ angry over not shifting. At the time, her whole world had felt like it had crumbled, like she had been standing on a great precipice and just fallen into black. She had shut out Betty and rejected her mother and now she might never see them again. They would kill the Joneses and Alice and Betty. Polly worried most about what they would do to her little sister.

She thought back to when she was younger. She had wanted a bottle of drugstore perfume so badly to wear for her first middle school dance with Jason, but Alice had refused. Polly had argued with her the whole way home and slammed her door when they got back. Halfway through getting dressed, Betty had knocked on her door. Polly could vividly recall the scene entirely.

“ _ What  _ do you want?” Polly had spat at her sister before yanking open her bedroom door.

Betty hadn’t budged or flinched at Polly’s sharp bark but instead quietly looked over her lavender dress. “You look so beautiful, Polly.”

“Is that it?” Polly had asked her then with a roll of her eyes. “Did you bother me just to tell me something I already know?”

Betty shook her head quietly and fidgeted with a small bottle in her hands.

With a huff, Polly gawked at her sister wide-eyed. “Well?” 

Betty stuck out her hand and held up the tiny pink bottle towards her sister. “It’s not fancy like at Martin’s Drugs,” Betty shrugged. “But I made it with rose and freesia from the garden. It smells fresh and sweet like a sticky summer night.”

With a half-smile and hopeful warmth in her eyes, Betty looked over her sister one more time before retreating to her room. “You really do look pretty, Pol.”

In her cold, stone cell, Polly gripped and held onto the warmth from that memory. Betty was a beautiful soul, full of light and love. Conversely, Polly knew she was frigid. A stone-cold bitch. Tears slid down her cheeks and dropped onto the stone. The room was so silent Polly swore you could hear them, building up, collecting. Maybe if she cried enough she could create a wave to sweep her away, or in the least, drown herself.

Thinking of Betty brought her warmth. She was a glowing beacon in Polly’s dark prison. She began to think about what Betty would do in this situation. She was always sitting quietly, thinking, and observing nature and what was around her. Betty was deep and in touch with everything and everyone. Polly had only ever been in touch with herself.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind and concentrate. She needed to be calm and think things through. If she got out of this, she would be different. She would be kind. She would be grateful. More like Betty. 

She steadied her breaths and concentrated on the quiet. After a few moments, she realized that it wasn’t quiet at all. There was a tapping somewhere on the distance. A hum of wings lingered somewhere in the air. A howl of a wolf sounded in the distance. Polly focused on those sounds and focused on herself. 

Her body felt alive and positively charged. Was this how Betty felt when she meditated and sat in thought? Her body hummed and her fingertips vibrated. A rush flew through her and her heart began to buzz. She began to panic at the heat and intensity of it all. More sounds invaded her senses and it was almost too much. Too overwhelming. She needed to see them and see the source. She needed light. She craved the light. 

The pulsating in her hands intensified and with a sudden jolt, the cell was illuminated for just a singular moment, as Polly looked on in awe. Sweat coated her skin and her tongue felt dry. “I did that,” was the last thought she had before her head hit the stone.

  
  


**Pack House**

**Lounge**

The packhouse had been quiet for days and FP, though a naturally social creature, had taken some solace in its emptiness. At any given time, upwards of twenty people would be in the lounge, clanking pool balls and knocking back drinks. He sat now with just Alice and Hilda, drinking some herbal tea the two had concocted for his nerves. He could never drink tea in front of the rest of the pack.

They had spent the entirety of the past two days in the basement of the packhouse where the histories and rare books of the pack were stored. Eyes crossed and brains fried, their skin itched from the built-up plumes of dust in the cellar. Text after text was scoured looking for some iota of a reason why Betty’s bite seemed to have permanently marked Jughead.

When Jughead had first told FP, he had brushed it off as if it were a mere happenstance; nothing of consequence. With how drained he was from mating, his wound was just taking longer to heal. As time passed, however, the bite remained. He had been sharing that with Hilda and Alice the day they had shown up on the Spellman’s lawn, right before all hell broke loose.

Alice didn’t think it a coincidence.

“Hey, Ally,” FP had begun. “I meant to mention this earlier but my mind has been on Jason and Polly and I guess I just forgot. The night of the mating ceremony, Betty marked Jug.”

Alice frowned and cocked her head to the side, unsure how that would be possible or why he’d be sharing details of the kids’ mating night. She truly didn’t want to know the details. “FP, I would love nothing more than to not talk about our kids and mating, for just _one_ day.”

Chuckling, FP ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “I get that, but something unusual seems to be going on here. Maybe it’s a fae thing because the bite hasn’t healed. Just like Betty’s, it’s become permanent.”

Now Alice looked interested as Hilda came back out from the house holding a tray of sandwiches and drinks. “Alright then, I have turkey, ham, banana mayo, and liverwurst. Something for everyone, yes?”

Stopping in her tracks and putting the tray down, she glanced between Alice and FP. “Oh dear, it’s that look again. The one that says we’ve got another pickle on our hands and it isn’t a dill. So what’s it this time?”

Alice shook off the perplexed, far off look in her eyes for a moment before sitting back and crossing her legs, biting on the knuckle of her right pointer finger for a moment. “It’s nothing, Hilda. Betty just left a mate’s mark on Jughead and we can’t explain how it’s not healed.”

“Quite the conundrum, then,” Hilda sang sweetly, placing the tray down. “Probably nothing, but then again could be something. I mean with them being soulmates and an Alpha and a fae and all, who knows the side effects or connotations.”

Alice picked up a turkey sandwich, nibbling on the edge as Hilda dug into her banana and mayonnaise. “It’s not like it’s  _ unheard _ of, right?” Hilda finished.

FP’s silence was the only response she needed to know that it was entirely unheard of. 

“Females can’t mark the males, Hilda,” FP ruminated. “It’s never happened that I know of. Their marks fade the way bite marks anywhere else on the body or outside of ceremony would.”

Hilda squashed her lips tightly and nodded. “Ah yes, I forgot about you wolves and your male-heavy misogynistic magical mating.” Hilda chortled to herself lightly. “Say that five times fast.”

“I’m sure it’s just another soulmate complication,” Alice said, shrugging it off. “I’ll talk to the McCoy’s tomorrow.”

And she had. Alice had called on Sierra and, much to Alice’s chagrin, Sierra had never felt the need to mark Myles and none of her love bites had ever remained permanent. This admission had led them to the basement to dig through ancient wolf texts.

As far as they could find, there were only very few Alphas who had soulmarks. In past history, Alpha’s would mate with many pack members to ensure plentiful, strong pups. So having a singular soulmate didn’t really jive with Alpha bravado. There were no records of the effects of a werewolf mating with a fae or being marked by one.

“So we’re dealing with a soulmarked Alpha, bitten by his fairy mate, and we have no idea the repercussions that may bring,” FP reiterated as they say. “Super. It’s not like we didn’t have enough going on here already.”

Alice rolled her eyes and sipped her tea, blowing at the steaming liquid before taking a small sip. “You know, for an Alpha, you’re  _ awfully _ dramatic sometimes.”

“Yeah?” he countered. “Well you’re a giant pain in my ass, but I keep you around anyway.”

Hilda shoved a cookie into her mouth and laughed skittishly, mumbling something in regards to their banter being the oddest foreplay she’d ever witnessed.

Alice glared at FP as he smirked at her from across the coffee table. 

“So, where do we look next?” Alice sighed, deciding she was too tired to banter at the moment.

“I could make some calls… see if other packs would let us check their texts and histories, but it’s a long shot. And you said you have no connection to the fae world, so-”

“I never said that,” Alice voiced quietly.

With his eyes snapping up to hers, FP’s breathing increased a bit and his nostrils flared. “What?”

“... I never said that I had no connection to the fae world. I said that my parents tossed me out. I said that I felt abandoned. I never said I didn’t know how to get back, just that I never  _ wanted _ to return.”

FP stared at her incredulously. “This whole time? This whole time you could have gone back, but you stayed?”

Alice rubbed her bottom lip over her top one and cast a glance off to the side before pursing her lips and blowing a steady stream of air out. “They tossed me out, FP. They didn’t fight for me. My family were cowards in times of crisis and left me here alone. It’s more their fault what happened than yours. You… well, you have  _ always  _ fought for me and the girls needed a pack and I…”

“I need to process this, Alice,” FP muttered as he shook his head. “You stayed for me?”

“I stayed for you,” she confirmed. “Do you hate me for that? Now that your son is soulmates with my Betty? Do you blame me?”

“I love Betty, Alice. And I love you. You know that. I’m just worried about my son… and I’m worried for Betty too. I’m worried about  _ everything _ .”

Alice stuck her teacup back down on the tray and crossed her arms over her chest, her expression gone hard. “Why are you even worried? Are you worried Jughead seems weak because he was bitten? Are you worried he will spontaneously combust or grow a third eye or pointy ears? Are we fae  _ that _ appalling to you that you couldn’t fathom having a love bite from someone you supposedly adore permanently affixed to your body?”

FP sighed and looked to the sky for help. “Alice, you know damn well that’s not what I meant.”

“Do I, FP?” Alice snapped. “Because you seem pretty fixated on this bite marring your son’s skin, but have no problem tattooing paw prints, snakes, and water lilies on your own body.”

Hilda paused mid-bite of her cookie and looked between the two as if they were a telenovela. “Water Lilies. How delightful. But she’s right, you know.”

“It has nothing to do with Alpha machismo, Alice,” FP shouted.

“I’m calling bullshit, Jones,” Alice growled. “You know Jughead is probably proud to wear that mark. You’re the one with the problem!”

“Alice, that’s not-”

“Bullshit!”

“Alice, seriously, come on -I”

“Bull! Complete bull!”

“Now, hold on here I  _ am  _ the Alpha and I demand some respect. I-”

“Bull. Shit.”

Before FP could raise his voice again, a groan and a thump reverberated off the packhouse door. Pausing in their argument, and Hilda mid-bite, they rose from their armchairs and down the hall, throwing the door open wide.

Sprawled out against the door was a girl, limbs black and blue, eyes swollen shut and hair matted with blood, dirt, and leaves. Her clothes were torn and worn down and she was thin and emaciated.

“Alpha Jones?” she managed to croak out as FP nodded. “My name is Jellybean. I’m your daughter.”

At Alice’s gasp and FP’s growl, the girl’s world went black.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! And so the journey continues! We’ve got cute Bughead, angst, more angst, and did I mention cute supportive Bughead coming your way!
> 
> Just a heads up, Rohypnol is used in this chapter- no physical assault, but someone is drugged. Just a heads up in case that triggers anyone.
> 
> Thanks to Jandy as always for her super insane beta skills.

**Serpent Pack House**

**Sunday**

Betty and Jughead finally emerged from their hazy love state on Saturday afternoon. Rather than leave their room, they spent the day pretending to still be indisposed, cuddling and watching old movies and recovering from their state of exhaustion. Lounging in old sweats, they stayed under the covers, trading soft and tender kisses while basking in their temporary privacy. They knew the world would soon intrude again.

And did it ever.

They retreated downstairs on Sunday morning only to find FP and Alice sitting at the kitchen island, exhaustion leaving them pale and eyes bloodshot.

“Hey kids,” FP greeted them half-heartedly. “You two doing okay?”

“We’re good, Dad,” Jughead assured him. “Everything is back to normal here. You look like hell, though. Did something happen?”

FP glanced over at Alice and ran a hand down his face, rubbing at his tired features and hunched forward over the counter on his forearms. Shifting on her stool, Alice rubbed at his shoulder gently, giving it a light squeeze as she absentmindedly worked at the muscle there.

“Why don’t you go lie down, FP?” Alice said softly. “You haven’t slept in two days. I can catch the kids up to speed.”

FP lay his head in his hands and shook it softly, inhaling deeply before sitting up straight again and shaking her off. “I’m fine. Honestly. I don’t think I can sleep anyway.”

Betty laced her fingers through her mate’s, squeezing his hand as she nervously glanced between their parents. “What is it? Is it Polly? Is she hurt?”

“Yes and no, kid,” FP answered. “You two better sit down. Why don’t we head into the lounge? It’s more comfortable. Alice, will you go get-?”

Alice nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to his shoulder before leaving the kitchen, while FP, Betty, and Jughead retreated to the lounge.

FP was weary from the trials of the past few days. He dropped down into his favorite, worn armchair with a heavy sigh.

Jughead sat on the sofa across from him and pulled Betty down close to his side, keeping their fingers laced together. “Dad?” 

Rubbing his thumb against his lip, FP smirked and then chuckled, but there was no mirth behind it.

“I’m not exactly sure how to even begin this one, boy,” FP explained. 

“Whatever it is, just tell us.” Jughead pleaded, his features laced with concern for his father.

“You have a sister,” FP blurted, dropping his head into his hands before rapidly looking up again. “Your mother, she was pregnant when she left. She, uh, she never told me.”

Betty’s features softened as she saw the torn, forlorn look on FP’s face. Jughead had frozen. To anyone else, they’d see his expression unreadable and impassable. Betty, however, could feel his stomach clench and the wave of shock and anger flow through him. Jughead nodded slowly and swallowed, his jaw tensing and eyes squinting just enough for Betty to recognize. She breathed evenly and sent calming feelings his way, but he bumped her shoulder with his and shook it off. He did not want to be calmed.

Jughead rubbed his lips back and forth, one over the other, tightly as his leg bounced, jostled from the tapping of the ball of his foot upon the floor. “A sister?” he repeated, in a blasé tone as if he was unmoved, but his body language spoke differently. “You- you’re sure? How do you know this isn’t some infiltration ploy by Stonewall to gain access to our inner workings?”

“You’ll understand once you see her, boy. Plus, I know my own scent. And I know your mother’s. You can’t fake scent and when I saw her it filled my nostrils in an undeniable wave.”

As if on cue, Alice entered the room, her hand on the back of a sprite of a girl, thin and shuffling nervously, with eyes downcast as she entered the room. Jughead stood at once, tilting his head to attempt to glance at her face which was hidden by a wave of jet-black hair, the same as his.

When she didn’t look up, Jughead took a step towards her and she flinched harshly, putting her hands up protectively. “Please?” she whimpered out quickly. He wasn’t sure what she was asking for. Please don’t come any closer? Please don’t hurt me?

_ “Jug,”  _ Betty spoke to him directly.  _ “I know you need my comfort, but she may need it more. Let her take the sofa with my mother. She seems to be afraid of men.” _

Jughead looked back over his shoulder, hands on his hips, and nodded at Betty. Slowly, so as not to startle her, he moved himself to the armchair next to FP and Alice gently guided Jellybean to the couch in between herself and Betty, nodding a silent ‘thank you’ to Jughead for his relocation.

“JB,” Alice said softly, her arm still on her back. “This is Jughead, your brother, and his mate, Betty, my daughter. I told you they were kind and wouldn’t pre-judge you.”

“Hello, JB,” Betty sang with a soft smile, her voice filled with a slight tenor as she took in her bruises, now fading to greens and yellows from what Betty was sure were purples and blacks just days ago. “I can imagine this must be really overwhelming for you, but I’m happy to know you and that you found your way here.”

“Does this mean I have to start sharing my toys?” Jughead deadpanned. “Because I don’t like anyone touching my katar or dusägge.”

“How many times, Jug?” Betty groaned. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop saying ‘dusägge. It’s a sword. Plain and simple.”

Snorting, Jughead scoffed at his mate. “A dusägge is  _ more _ than just a sword, I’ll have you know. It’s a cutlass if anything. But to call it a sword…” Jughead put a hand to his heart, wrinkling up his face as if wounded by Betty’s careless reference to his beloved weapon.

Their banter had broken the tension and Jellybean looked up from beneath the curtain of her hair, the slight beginnings of a smile tilting the left side of her lip.

“You two bicker like an old married couple,” FP said, rolling his eyes. “Oh wait, you are.” This coaxed a giggle from Jellybean and FP’s eyes twinkled in delight.

Silence filled the room for a moment as the mirth faded and Jellybean squirmed where she sat, her fingernails picking at her palms. “I guess you guys want to hear the story,” she said out loud, her statement directed at her new brother, and for all intents and purposes, sister-in-law.

Betty placed a hand over Jellybean’s knee gently. “Only if you want to share it.”

Jellybean looked down at her worn sneakers, the rubber pulling back from the front and Betty made a mental note to drop off a pair of her own sneakers by her room later since they seemed to be about the same size. She was, after all, Jughead’s sister and she would trust and accept her until the girl gave her cause not to. That didn’t mean she would let her guard down. She was still wary.

“My real name is Forsythia,” Jellybean began. “It’s a terrible fucking mouthful, I know. Well, you also know. My mother, Gladys, said she gave me a version of your name to remind me that part of me was part of you and that meant I’d always be trash. She didn’t want me to forget that and she has never let me forget it.”

Looking awkwardly between them all it was clear no one knew what to say. Jellybean decided to assuage them from their need to respond and pushed onward with her tale.

“While Gladys is my mother, she was no more a mother than you were a father,” she said, flinching as she reconsidered her words. “Sorry. I didn’t mean… you didn’t know…”

FP put up a hand and nodded to her in understanding. “It’s alright. I know what you meant.”

Biting her lip and nodding back, JB took a deep breath and continued. “I was useless in our pack. I was kept out of training and meetings. I wasn’t allowed to socialize with other pack members, not that they would socialize with me anyway. I got hit… a lot. If anything went wrong in the pack, Gladys took her aggression out on me.”

Betty squeezed JB’s knee and sniffled. She had grown up in such a deplorable manner while Betty was bombarded with love and support and a literal soulmate from a young age. It was unacceptable and she could feel the rage and guilt creeping its way through her mate’s system.

_ “Jughead, you were three when she left. There is no way you could have known.” _

_ “Betty, do you see her bruises? Did you see how she flinched when I went near her? God knows what they did to her.” _

_ “It’s awful. Dreadful and gruesome, really. But it is still not your fault. All you can do now is listen and support her. Help her heal.” _

They ended their private discussion and returned to listening to JB.

“When Gladys was mad, I didn’t eat. That happened a lot. Two weeks ago I snuck down to the kitchen after three days without food. Sneaking down was always a risk, but I was  _ so  _ hungry. I learned that I could take just a little bit from prepared meals and snacks and no one would notice as long as I didn’t gorge myself or take too much.”

“While I was snagging some cheese cubes from a tray set for the pack meeting later that night, I heard voices and I climbed inside a broom closet, squashing in the back with the cobwebs and cockroaches. There was a voice I didn’t know, a man. He was speaking with my mother and I heard them mention you and that you led the Serpent Pack. They were planning something. Something bad that revolves around... well you, Betty,” JB shared, tentatively looking to Betty with a worried gaze.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get specifics, but I only heard that someone named Polly told them you were powerful and important,” JB shrugged. “They left after that. A week later I was caught in the kitchen and they did this,” she added, gesturing to her bruised body. “That’s when I decided to run. I left during their pack meeting. If they caught me I knew the consequences, but really, what more could they do that they haven’t already.”

Alice was crying, again, having wept silently the first night she heard her story and FP was enraged all over again, controlling it for his daughter’s benefit.

_ “What do you think?”  _ Jughead silently asked Betty.

_ “I think that your father’s guilt has led him to drink the Kool-Aid, and my mother’s history has done the same to her as well.” _

_ “And you?”  _ Jughead queried.

_ “I- I think she’s been through a lot. And I don’t think that part is an act. But we still need to proceed with caution. It’s not the time to completely let our guard down.” _

“I’m sorry you had to live this way, Jellybean,” Jughead spoke.

“JB,” she said quietly. “You can call me JB if you want. I always thought if I ever had any friends that is what they’d call me.”

Jughead stood and adjusted his beanie uncomfortably. “JB,” he repeated. “You’re safe here. And we can promise you somewhere warm to sleep and food to eat. We won’t let them touch you again. The Serpent Pack doesn’t believe in beatings, starvation, or humiliation. We are a family and now you are a part of it.”

Crossing the small space between them he stood before her and she rose slowly. Tentatively, Jughead extended his arms and JB moved forward into them, accepting his hug and crying as she laid against his t-shirt.

Jughead held her tightly, her familial scent drawing out his need to protect her, but it was Betty’s eyes that his own locked with over Jellybean’s shoulder. Though his instincts wanted him to protect JB, Betty was now, and would always be, his top priority and singular focus. He kept the embrace light, anticipating the storm that would no doubt be coming for them soon.

…..

“I’m in,” JB whispered into the phone she had pulled from beneath her mattress. “They told me I could stay as long as I needed.”

“Good, good,” Gladys sneered from the other end of the line. “Maybe you’ve proven you’re not so useless after all. Keep this up and maybe when you get back you’ll have finally proven you’re of my bloodline and not his pathetic one.”

“Knock, knock!” Betty’s voice called from the hall.

“I have to go!” JB whispered frantically before clicking off the call and shoving the phone beneath her pillow. “Come in!” 

“Hey, JB,” Betty smiled sweetly. “I thought maybe you’d feel more comfortable with some changes of clothing so I brought some of my old sweats and jeans, t-shirts, and pajamas. There are some socks and sneakers there, too. I brought older ones because I think I shrunk them and you’re definitely tinier than I am.”

“You- you don’t mind me borrowing your things?” JB stammered out, touching the soft fabrics of the assortment of items Betty placed on the bed.

“They’re yours now, Jellybean. And of course, I don’t mind. We’re family,” Betty said as if it should have been self-explanatory. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to rest. Today must have been exhausting for you. If you need to chat or just don’t want to be alone, Jug and I have our own space on the second floor.”

Betty headed back towards the door but was stopped in her tracks by JB’s meek whisper.

“Betty?” JB called, guilt and confusion written all over her face.

“Yeah?”

“Nothing,” JB said, rushed. “Just… thank you.”

Betty smiled and left the room, closing the door and leaving JB to her thoughts; thoughts that were more baffling than ever before.

  
  


**Stonewall Pack House**

**Tuesday Afternoon**

“I can’t do this anymore, Tall Boy,” Malachi complained as he sat before his Alpha and Lumina. “Sabrina  _ never  _ stops talking.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Gladys said obnoxiously. “Of course you can stop seeing her. Your temporary headache is  _ much  _ more important than this entire pack reclaiming what’s ours.”

Malachi stared pointedly at her and groaned. “That’s not what I…,” he began throwing his hands up in the air. “I mean, can we move things along? She’s so vaped and dramatic.”

“You mean vapid?” a male voice from deeper in the room called. 

Malachi turned as Hiram Lodge approached, his suit meticulously pressed and not a hair out of place. 

“Yeah, I guess that’s what I meant,” Malachi said, having no idea what the adjective actually meant. “I’m not asking to quit, I’m just asking to get a bit more creative.”

“I think I can help,” Hiram said, his usual small, devilish grin upon his lips.

Gladys grinned back at him as Tall Boy remained his normal, taciturn self. “Have a seat,” Gladys offered. “What did you have in mind?”

Hiram looked over the worn, slightly dingy armchair and ignored the offer. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a tiny vial with a clear liquid in it and handed it to Malachi. 

“I, too, agree that it is time to move things along,” Hiram said matter-of-factly. “People will be drinking at Sweetwater Fair tonight. Put two drops, no more no less, in the Spellman girl’s drink. People will assume she imbibed too much and you can get her alone to spill her secrets.”

Malachi grinned maniacally, pleased to finally be able to get the dirt they needed and end the charade.

“Why?” Tall Boy asked Hiram suddenly. “Why now all of a sudden?”

“Word has reached me that our dear, beloved Serpent Pack Lumina has had her first heat at the young age of eighteen,” Hiram shared.

“Aww, babe, you’re gonna be a grandma,” Tall Boy laughed, flinching as Gladys punched him in the arm.

“What does that have to do with us and taking down FP and his pack of emotional misfits?” Gladys asked, unmoved by the possibility of a grandchild.

Hiram just grinned and set into an explanation, the whole room hanging on every word of his plan.

  
  


**Serpent Pack House**

**Tuesday Night**

“Why do you all need to get ready here?” Jughead groaned as his mate pushed him out of their bedroom, her friends already taking up space in their living room. “It’s a fair, not prom.”

“It’s tradition, Jones!” Toni called. “This is what we did back in middle school

Before the fair when we wanted to look good for all you guys-”

“And girls,” Cheryl interjected.

“...before we were all mated,” finished Toni. “This was a hot spot for dating. Little did we know you and our girl Betty here were already betrothed back then.”

“Yes,” Veronica chirped. “Kudos to your acting abilities and willpower.”

From his own doorway, Jughead just sighed. “But we’re all mated now, so I repeat, why am I getting kicked out of my room for you to primp?”

Cheryl rose from the couch and stood nose to nose with Jughead in the doorway. “Because, you thick-headed, dense, knit-wearing marshmallow of an Alpha, we want to know about Betty’s heat and your non-stop sexy times. Now, toodles,” she finished, closing the door in his face.

Giggling at Jughead’s shocked look before the door slammed in his face, Betty shook her head at her friend's boldness. “Cher, must you always be so… abrasive?” 

Cheryl shrugged and sat back down at the vanity, touching up the red lipstick that was already coating her lips. “I am what I am. Now, your quasi-husband is gone and we need the deets… so spill.”

Betty took a deep breath and shrugged, rubbing her palms back and forth against her jeans. “Honestly? Not to scare you guys, but my heat was the most agonizing torture I’ve ever experienced. It’s like you’ve been lost in the desert and dying from thirst and you come to this oasis and no matter how much you drink, you can’t be satisfied. Your thirst is never quenched.”

Betty’s friends remained silent, hanging on her every word. They masked their worry over their own inevitable future with curiosity about her experience. 

“And the ache,” Betty continued. “The ache left me feeling like I’d die, the slowest and most wonderful death imaginable.”

“Nothing about that sounds wonderful,” Toni balked, her brow wrinkled up in distaste.

“It’s the trust,” Betty added quickly to counter Toni’s fears. “It’s like nature allows you to be the most vulnerable you could  _ ever  _ be and you trust someone else to care for you utterly and completely. That’s what makes the agony, well, beautiful.”

“That and all the non-stop boinking,” Cheryl added, putting her hands up in defense at Betty’s glare. “Kidding! Obviously, it was all about the bewitching and sweet, tender moments.”

“But it was!” Betty laughed, not surprised Cheryl couldn’t understand. “You won’t know until you experience it. And trust me, you’re lucky that you have mates that you love to get you through.”

Betty’s face flushed a bit at the memory of their time locked away alone. “Jug was… everything. He was fierce and hot, and sweet and tender. I’m not giving you details because it was… special and ours, but I’ll say it made me feel even more connected to him. And the sex…”

Betty trailed off, laughing at the squeals and hoots from her friends.

“Who’d have thunk it,” Veronica grinned. “Little Betty Cooper schooling  _ us _ on the aspects of mating.”

Betty shrugged and turned to her vanity, putting the finishing touches on her makeup and her friends resumed their fair prep as well. A pregnant silence had fallen over the room and Betty sighed as she painted her eyelashes with her mascara wand. “What?”

The girls looked between themselves as if debating who was going to ask what had been weighing on all their minds and then it seemed as if Veronica had drawn the short straw.

“Do you think, B… I mean, we were curious… Do you think you’re pregnant? You’re extra fertile in heat and… do you feel different?”

Betty stopped mid mascara wipe and blinked into the vanity mirror. With the chaos of JB arriving that was an issue that they hadn’t found time to address as of yet. Betty finished the last swipe of mascara and capped the bottle, placing it back down on her vanity table, and shrugged at her friends.

“I guess I could be. I don’t feel any different but I think it would be a bit soon anyway. I’m trying not to think about that possibility yet so could we just not talk about that tonight? Maybe table it for another time?”

“Of course,” Veronica conceded. “You’re absolutely right. Let’s head out and have some fun.”

As they gathered their things and headed out, Betty couldn’t help but have a pit deep in her stomach. She just wasn’t sure whether it was about their lie or the possibility of it becoming true.

**Sweetwater Fair**

The smell of cotton candy wafted through the air as the whimsical carnival music filled the air with its melodic notes. Kids ran through the crowds fighting over stuffed dogs and plastic snakes, begging their parents for extra tickets to the tilt-a-whirl, tired from a day of excitement. The sun was just about to set and many of the families who had spent the afternoon were clearing out and the older crowd was rushing in.

  
  


“Triple cheeseburgers in donuts, fried cheesecake on a stick, and pickle dogs,” Jughead salivated. “Hell yes! I love fair week! We are coming back tomorrow, Betts!”

“Jug, your arteries are basically as thin and closed up as filaments at this point,” Betty snarked, linking her arm through his. “Eat your heart out tonight because you’re having a lot of mixed greens for the next week.”

“Ugh, woman,” Jughead blanched. “I’m an Alpha. I have above-par health and I need fried carbs to fuel this impeccable body.”

“Be that as it may, it is my job to take care of you and I can promise you’ll be burping up Brussels sprouts all week.”

Archie tossed back his head and laughed, popping a few peanuts into his mouth that he had already purchased as they entered the fair. “Dude, you are so whipped by your mate. Hilarious.”

A resounding ‘thunk’ could be heard throughout their friend group and Archie jolted forward in shock as Veronica’s hand made contact with the back of his skull.

“Laugh it up, Archiekins,” she seethed, his term-of-endearment nickname sounding more like a cuss word. “Now you’re going to be choking down those same sprouts this week… and I sure as hell don’t cook or season like Betty does.”

Betty laughed and looked over at JB. On a last-minute whim, she had knocked on her bedroom door and insisted that she tag along with them and leave the packhouse she had been hiding in for days. “Some fresh air will do you good,” she had said and JB couldn’t think of a plausible reason to decline.

Betty linked her other arm with Jellybean’s, still linked with Jug on the other side, and smiled at her. “You’ll learn in time that your brother has the eating habits akin to that of a toddler, JB.”

Shrugging shyly and trying to suppress a smile, JB let out a small, uncharacteristic chuckle. “It’s a good way to live,” JB said seriously. “I mean, I spent so long not eating that if I could choose, from here on out, I’d only eat what makes me happy.”

Veronica and Toni’s lips turned down in sorrow and the playful banter went silent.

JB pursed her lips and nodded, regretfully. “Yeah, I really know how to kill a mood. I, uh, apologize. I’ve never really socialized… like, ever.”

Everyone picked a point to look at for the moment. Cheryl at her red patent wedges, Toni at an errant lock of her pink hair, and Archie and Veronica at their linked hands, until Jughead spoke.

“Well, limited social prowess is a Jones family trait that skips a generation. Dad missed it, but it seems like you and I got saddled with grandpops taciturn outward demeanor. Welcome to the lucky end of the gene pool.”

“Well, shit,” JB muttered, grinning, the tension now broken.

“Alright, time for this untamed mandem to move along and get this night started,” Cheryl said sharply.

“You’re just getting started?” Sabrina’s loud voice hiccuped as she and Malachi strode into their pathway to join them, mile-high drinks in their hands. “We’ve been kick-starting this party since noon.”

Betty felt JB’s arm tighten around her own and glanced over at her, smiling in reassurance. Though she had also initially recoiled from Jughead , there was something about this reaction that made Betty feel different about it this time. Maybe it was the rest of Jellybean’s body language or the tremors Betty felt on her arm. Or maybe it was Betty’s sixth sense, a fae gift she didn’t know she had, but something was not right.

_ “Something feels off to me, Jug,”  _ Betty shared.  _ “Keep your eyes on Sabrina tonight. I have reservations about her flavor of the week. His energies seem… wrong and JB seems spooked.” _

_ “Roger that, Laura Lynne Jackson,” _ he said back, adding in a wink for good measure.

“So, where to first?” Cheryl beamed and bubbled, ignoring Sabrina completely. “Do we snag boozy ice cream with a cherry on top or hit the tunnel of love for some waterway canoodling?”

“Food,” the boys said all at once, laughing at the predictability of that outcome.

They found a pair of side-by-side picnic tables open and tossed their things on top. Their fair blueprint was always to divide and conquer, each taking a desired item or cuisine type and snagging enough for them to share. Jug headed to the burger stand while Archie headed off for pork tacos and mango salsa. Toni got in line for Southern barbecue and Betty headed for the desserts. Cheryl ducked over to secure them drinks, pulling out her fake ID since it was a town carnival and not a pack event. No one would serve them here like they would at the Wyrm where pack drinking age was eighteen, officially. Veronica and JB reserved the tables, waiting for their smorgasbord to arrive.

An hour later, the girls, minus JB, were finished eating and Archie, Jughead, and JB polished off a tray of corn dogs and fried pickles that they picked up on round two of their food-a-thon.

“This is the best day of my life,” JB groaned into her corn dog stick. “I didn’t even know this many flavors existed.”

“Yeah, well stick with us Jones’ and you’ll practically invent new flavors. We’re driven by our taste buds,” Jughead said, muffled by the pickle in his mouth.

“I thought you were driven by your feelings,” a snarky voice said from behind his back.

Jughead turned and the rest of the table looked up to find Chuck and Reggie high-fiving and laughing at Chuck’s insult.

“Gentlemen,” Jughead nodded. “Or wait? Is it gentleboys? Can you be considered men in the pack if you haven’t found your mate?”

As the table erupted in laughter, even Reggie chortling along, Chuck’s jaw hardened.

“You're the gentleboy Jones. You’re supposed to be the next Alpha and there’s nothing commanding about you.”

Jughead moved to rise from the picnic bench, but Betty beat him to it, smiling devilishly back at Chuck.

“Oh, Chuck, I can personally assure you that Jughead is  _ very _ good at giving commands,” she said before pausing momentarily. “And there is  _ nothing _ soft about him.”

Jaws dropped and Jughead smiled smugly as Chuck nodded and grinned. “Nice, Jones. Your woman has to come to your defense.”

This time Jughead did rise, tucking Betty into his side. “She’s not my woman, Chuck. She’s my partner and  _ your _ future Lumina and you will respect her or you’ll find yourself a lone wolf.”

Rubbing at his nose and scoffing, Chuck tossed one last distasteful look at them before glancing over at the game stands. “Maybe I’ve been unfair about your status, Jones. How about some  _ friendly  _ gameplay to smooth things over?”

Betty pressed her hand to her hips and looked up at the sky, huffing out a laugh. “That’s the most absurd-”

“You’re on,” Jughead agreed as Chuck grinned widely and outstretched his arms as if to say, “Bring it on.”

As the boys immediately strode off, the table rose to follow as Betty rolled her eyes.

“I feel like we should be singing a round of “Anything you can do, I can do better,” and making dime bets on who wins.”

“This is why  _ I  _ prefer women,” Cheryl smiled sweetly before following the boys to the games. 

They came to a stop at the Strong Man Challenge. The operator, Ben, was a pack member himself so the game was geared towards their kind, taking larger than average strength to achieve a ringing of the bell at the top of the chipping, yellow tower.

“Alright Jones,” Chuck sneered, removing his shirt to show off his well-toned abdominals. “Let’s see what you’ve got here. Time to embarrass yourself in front of your girl.”

“Well look at you!” Jughead applauded. “Abs! You have all of them! Kudos on that. All the abs and no brains or class. I guess it’s a fair trade-off.”

“You can’t run your tongue along brains,” Chuck quipped, picking up the hammer. “Isn’t that right, Betty?”

By now she was furious. Today was supposed to be relaxing and drama free and here Chuck was stirring up shit for the sake of flaunting his masculinity. Jughead had to indulge him once the challenge was made so as not to seem weak and that bothered her even more. Stopping next to her mate, Betty placed a palm carefully on her chest before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“You know, I haven’t found a lack of things to run my tongue along since we’ve mated.”

Jughead chuckled cockily, offering a slight ‘Thanks, Betts,” as Chuck positioned his feet a shoulder-width apart on the ground and spread his palms around the hammer.

Dropping her voice low and squeezing her palms into fists, Betty whispered, “ _ Ir ho li-fo ha o’er hon sholïn ech- ha blung sui a bœl-dà. _ ”

Chuck took a deep breath and moved to lift the hammer, grunting and heaving at the weight of it. As it finally lifted off the ground, the metal top swerving left and right, he stumbled to catch his footing before stabilizing with the weight on his shoulder.

“What the hell, Ben? What kind of joke-of-a-game is this?”

Ben shrugged and went back to his comic. He never cared much for pack hierarchy or any of its members.

Chuck breathed through his teeth, groaning out a loud cry and swinging the mammoth hammer down, the small metal piece reaching nowhere near the bell at the top. Shocked and in dismay, he dropped the offending mallet and glared at Ben. Before he could drag the poor boy into it, Jughead strode around him, easily lifted the hammer, swung and the small metal ball made contact with the bell on top at once, their friends and other pack members nearby erupting in cheers of triumph.

“Bullshit,” Chuck spat. “That was so rigged.”

“How?” Betty laughed in dismay. “It was literally the same hammer and no one touched a thing. Ben didn’t even look up from his comic!”

“I want a rematch on a new game!” Chuck demanded as Jughead sighed. 

“One more, Clayton. I have plans for tonight that don’t involve you.”

Glancing around the fairgrounds he pointed at a rifle game on the other side of the tents. “There. Shooting. Let’s see which one of us has the better aim.”

“Wouldn’t be me,” Toni mumbled as they walked. “I’d aim it right at his foul face and have no regrets whatsoever.”

The rifle game had moving targets; little pieces of paper with stars strung up on wire that moved back and forth. The premise was to hit as many as you could preferably in the center.

_ “Thanks for your help back there, Betts. I didn’t think I’d hit that bell. I’ve never tried that before and was worried I’d be the laughing stock of all Alphas.” _

_ “I didn’t help you, Jug. I mean, I did. I made it as heavy as a boulder for Chuck, but you did yours all on your own.” _

_ “Really?” _

_ “Don’t get cocky. Now, c’mon and end this. I want to get dizzy on the tilt-a-whirl and make out in the funhouse.” _

_ “Yes, ma’am!” _

“Okay, gentlemen,” the human running the game called. “Ready when you are.”

The boys picked up their rifles and watched the targets move for a bit, getting a feel of the speed and if there was a pattern. Jughead fired first, his pellet hitting dead center in a star.

“Nice, Jug!” Archie cheered from behind him as Jughead just grinned.

Thrusting an open palm toward the back of Chuck’s rifle, Betty whispered, “ _ Naur _ .” Chuck’s gun fired and missed the paper entirely. 

“What the- I didn’t even pull the trigger!” Chuck yelled angrily. “I want a new rifle!”

“You seem to have an awful lot of excuses today, bro,” Archie teased and Chuck was handed a new firearm, ignoring Archie completely.

In the time it took him to exchange his gun, Jughead had fired off his last nine shots, hitting the exact same star target each time, eight of which were again dead center. 

Chuck took a deep breath, raised his gun and squinted his eye.

“ _ Naur _ ,” Betty whispered and the gun fired again.

The shot fired and completely missed again and Chuck threw the rifle at the poor game attendant in his fury. 

“Ooo, it’s alright, Chuck,” Jughead frowned. “Some guys can’t help but fire prematurely.”

“You know what, forget this. I don’t need to prove I’m just as strong as you are Jones. You and your goody-two-shoes mate enjoy your time kidding around this waste of time fair.”

Chuck began to stomp away and Betty’s temper began to bubble over.

“ _ Bûs-zg bęeœ, uin nimloth, tul- hon dad na hon nees _ .”

From what seemed like nowhere, a swarm of bees appeared, buzzing and flying like a terrifying cyclone, and began to circle about Chuck’s body. Arms flailing and legs kicking, he ran screaming from the fairgrounds, the bees hot on his tail.

“Oh. My. God.” Veronica gasped out laughing. “Have you ever seen bees behave like that before?”

Jughead shot Betty an amused look and she just shrugged, smirking back slyly. “He should pay more attention in pack lessons. They were bumblebees, not honeybees.”

“You could identify that from way back here?” Sabrina said, mystified, as Betty just shrugged again.

“Whatever. Who even cares?” Cheryl groaned. “Can we please hit the funhouse now?”

“Chug first!” Toni yelled, each of them still holding their second drink from earlier. “The funhouse is way more fun if the floor is already moving before you get in.”

Grabbing their drinks, Veronica held hers up. “Cheers. To our future Alpha for putting a toxic wolf in his place,”

“Wait!” Sabrina called as Malachi approached with two new drinks in hand, offering one to Sabrina. “Okay, now.”

“Cheers!” they all called as they downed their drinks.

…..

JB had opted out of the funhouse. She was younger than the rest of them and not drinking and the thought of being somewhere chaotic and confusing didn’t sound appealing. She’d spent her whole life sneaking through hidden doors and hiding behind smoked mirrors. Why do it for fun? She told them she’d wait by the exit, grabbing an ice cream cone to keep herself busy.

The crew of eight entered through a spinning tunnel, Betty and Toni giggling and sitting down, letting the wheel topple them over each other time and time again.

“That’s kind of hot to watch,” Archie shrugged, recoiling a bit at Jughead’s sneer and Cheryl’s glare. 

Cheryl, in her high heels, was surprisingly doing the best at staying upright. “It’s all about posture, children,” she elucidated.

When they made it from the wheel of doom, as Veronica was calling it, they came to a room full of dangling punching bags. For a moment everyone paused before they all began to shriek and press the bags wildly against each other, trying to knock their friends to the floor. Archie and Jughead had wrapped their arms around two and were savagely slapping each other with the vinyl padded weapons as Sabrina and Veronica wrapped their legs around one to swing back and forth.

Exhausted, they paused at the exit to the room. There were four different paths that could be taken. 

“Split up and see where we converge again?” Sabrina suggested, winking at Malachi with a heavy slur to her voice. She was resting back against his chest, slightly swaying.

Betty looked weary, but everyone else had agreed so she nodded as well, Jughead squeezing her shoulders sensing her distress.

_ “Alright?” _

_ “I just… I don’t know. I have an odd feeling in my gut today.” _

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he placed a quick kiss to the top of her head.

_ “We’ll be diligent,” _ he promised.

Cheryl and Toni and Veronica and Archie took the two center paths, as Sabrina and Malachi went to the far right and Betty and Jughead to the far left.

Climbing the moving staircase, Jughead gripped Betty’s hips, laughing as they were jostled back and forth, her nerves temporarily ebbing. At the top of the steps was a room full of mirrors with multiple paths designed as a maze.

_ “I’ll give you a ten-second head start,”  _ he whispered to her, placing a kiss behind her ear, with his arms still wrapped around her waist.

At first, Betty didn’t move. Then, she heard his low, teasing voice. “One.. two…”

Shoving his arms off of her waist, she took off running through the mirrors, giggling at the childish nature of it all. 

_ “No scent tracking, Jug!”  _ she warned him as he called out, “You can run, but you can’t hide!”

Stifling a laugh behind her palms, Betty pressed her back up against the cool glass of one of the many mirrors there, avoiding the corner ones that would project her image even further down the line. She imagined he could feel how rapidly her heart was beating, maybe even hear it with his damned Alpha hearing. In the bottom mirror about twenty feet down, she saw the reflection of his shoes and began to shuffle away down the corridor, taking a left and walking backwards, checking to see if his reflection had advanced. After a moment of no motion or sound, she felt a warm puff of air on the back of her neck and his reflection appear in the mirror in front of her.

Shrieking, she took off running down an aisle, Jughead fast at her heels as he scooped her up by the hips and swung her around, pressing her body against one of the taller, wider mirrors there and swallowing her shriek in a kiss. Betty wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her grip around him, her fingers sinking into the tiny tendrils of hair at the base of his neck as the funhouse music blasted from the organ in the corner.

She could see their reflection behind his back and down the whole row of mirrors. She kept her eyes open and was enthralled by how odd it was to be able to watch him kiss her. She opened her mouth to his greedy lips and their tongues clashed, Betty, letting out a sharp groan at the thrill of it all. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, his own eyes opened and they locked through the reflective glass. He seemed to realize what she had been doing and he pulled back just the slightest, smirking, their lips still touching just barely.

Eyes still open, he began to tease at her lips with his tongue, never fully giving her the deep contact she craved. He left her chasing him and she realized that was his ploy as she saw their tongues meeting through the glass. Tired of the game she rolled her hips against his hard and yanked his mouth back to her own, still watching their sensual dance. His fingers skimmed up under her shirt and pressed against her navel, teasing the skin just below it.

An incessant buzzing interrupted them both as their phones simultaneously began to vibrate.

VL: You guys still in there, B? Get some, girl.

TT: Really, Jones? In the funhouse?

CB: Dirty, Cousin Betty. I approve.

AA: Dude. I’m impressed.

They laughed, sharing the messages they both had before Betty’s eyebrows creased in concern.

“What is it, Betts?”

“Sabrina,” she said. “She’s not out yet. If she were, she’d have the dirtiest comment.”

“She’s probably doing what we were doing,” Jughead shrugged.

“No,” Betty insisted, gripping his biceps and lowering her thighs. “Juggie, I can’t explain it, but I just  _ know _ something is not right. 

He searched her face slowly before biting his lip and nodding softly. “Okay. We’ll go check her tunnel and exit that way.”

“Thank you,” Betty sighed, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. “Thank you.”

…..

“Sod’ ark true ‘ere,” Sabrina giggled as Malachi pulled her through the darkroom, her limbs numb and tingly as her weight tested heavily against his body.

Malachi sighed, tired of her high pitched voice and annoying giggle. It was time to end this and end it now.

“Hey, baby?” he cooed sweetly, pushing her down onto the funhouse floor, metal rollers beneath her jostling her back and forth. “Tell me more about Betty.”

Sabrina pouted and wrapped her arms around his leg, holding on tight and pulling him down to the floor with her. “Pay ‘tention a’me. Who cares ‘bouts Betty.”

Malachi grinned. The cocktail he slipped into her drink earlier was clearly taking effect. He needed to get her talking fast before she was completely unconscious. “It would make me happy, baby. I’d love you even more.”

“Y’lob me?” Sabrina lolled, her head drooping to the side. 

“Of course, baby,” he smiled, rolling his eyes afterward. “Now, Betty. What’s so special about her?”

“Beddy ‘sooooo spechal,” Sabrina slurred, smiling against the material of his jeans. “She shiffed and is olly a haff…. a haffbud. And… a slowmate. Yeah, she’s Jug’eds slowmate.”

Malachi growled impatiently. “Listen you tiny halfwit, We don’t have much time! Now, if you want to make me happy, tell me what makes Betty special! What is her magic?!”

“Ohhhhhh,” giggled Sabrina as her eyelids began to droop. “You mean ‘er fay-ree stuffs.”

“Fay-ree?” Malachi repeated, confused.

“No,” laughed Sabrina. “Fray-re! Fair-re. She got sparklee m’gic.”

Malachi’s eyes widened and his breathing increased. “Do you mean fairy? Betty Cooper is part fairy?”

“‘Das wut I say,” Sabrina slurred again, her eyes beginning to close.

“Holy shit,” Malachi said in disbelief. “Holy shit!” he said again this time with a laugh.

Sabrina’s eyes slid closed and he pulled his jeans away from her grip. “Sorry about that, witchy,” he whispered. “In another world we ‘coulda had a good time together.”

“A fuckin’ fairy!” he laughed excitedly as he found the wall and his way through the dark, taking off at a sprint back to his pack at Stonewall.

…..

“Sabrina!” Betty called as they walked down the dark corridor. “Bree? Are you down there?”

Pulling out his cell phone, Jughead turned on the flashlight to navigate the dark maze.

“Jug!” Betty gasped, pointing up ahead at the pile of blonde hair laying on the floor. Moving at a run now they raced toward her, a Jughead sliding on his knees the last few feet and skidding to a stop at her side as Betty crashed down across from him, tapping at Sabrina’s cheek.

“Sab?” she called. “Brina, wake up. Sabrina? Are you alright?

Jughead felt at her pulse. It was slow but constant. “She’s breathing, but unresponsive,” he shared with Betty, pushing his hands beneath her before standing with her slight frame cradled in his arms. “We need to get her to Hilda and Zelda. I think- I think she was roofied.”

Betty looked horrified and her eyes immediately filled with tears. Her clothes looked perfectly in place, so she was confident nothing like  _ that _ had happened, but still, her own free will was taken from her and that in itself was scary enough.

_ “This is all my fault,” _ Betty thought to herself.  _ “I knew something felt off.” _

_ “This is no one’s fault but that piece of garbage wolf,”  _ Jughead said back to her, Betty not even realizing she had shared her sentiments with him.

Making their way through the maze, they exited to the shocked and concerned stares of their friends.

“What happened?” Veronica cried, running over to their side, Archie on her heels.

“We found her like this,” Betty cried. “And Malachi is gone.”

“We can call and explain later, guys,” Jughead called as he began to take off in a jog, Betty following behind. 

“Are you insane?” Toni called, taking off in a jog. “We’re all coming as well. If Malachi touched her, I’m going to rip his throat out myself.”

**Spellman House**

“Hilda! Zelda!” Jughead’s voice boomed through the house as he pushed through the front door, an entire train of people trailing behind him, JB the caboose.

Running in from the kitchen, Zelda skidded to a stop, Hilda crashing into her back, followed by Alice and FP crashing into hers.

“Oomph,” Zelda huffed out, watching her balance as they all righted themselves.

“Mom?”

“Dad? Why are you two always here?” Jughead asked rhetorically.

“Oh, heavens!” Zelda yelled, glancing down at Jughead’s arms. “Is that- is that Sabrina?”

Jughead pushed his way into the kitchen. Balancing her carefully against him he swiped the content of the kitchen table to the floor before laying her down carefully.

“We found her in the funhouse. She had gone off with Malachi, but he was long gone when we got there. We think- we think he roofied her.”

“Oh dear. Oh dear. I’ll tell you  _ when  _ I get my hands on that boy first thing I’ll do is hex off his-”

“Hilda!” Zelda yelled, stopping her in her rant.

“Right, I’ll get the ammonium carbonate and some boosleroot extract from the pantry,” Hilda mumbled, running off.

Zelda pushed Sabrina’s hair back from her face and rubbed her palm against her cheek. “Just a little longer, sweet girl.”

Running back in from the pantry, Hilda held out the bottles in her hands. “Got them! Took an extra minute because the tollyfoil was in front of the coocklechoo tea,” she laughed. “I mean, of all the absurd placements. I… right,” she paused looking at all the faces in the room blankly staring at her.

With a frustrated sigh, Zelda ripped the bottle from Zelda’s hands and tipped some boosleroot extract into her slack mouth.

“Poison seeping through her veins, draw it out so none remains. Clear her pathways, cleanse her blood. Heal our precious flower bud.”

It seemed as if the air had been sucked out of the room as all the wolves present collectively gasped. From Sabrina’s lips a thin line of liquid began to form, wiggling its way from her mouth and onto her cheek before dripping into the small vial Zelda held. The vial was almost full when the liquid finally stopped flowing, Sabrina still asleep on the table. Hilda stepped forward and ran the ammonium carbonate, smelling salts, under her nose and seconds later Sabrina coughed and sputtered her way awake. The air returned to all the lungs in the room that had been holding their breath.

“Aunties?” Sabrina said weakly and confusedly. “How did I get here? The last thing I remember was watching Jughead decimate Chuck at target shooting and then… nothing.”

Blinking, she looked around to find all her friends watching her, relieved. “Guys, what happened?”

Betty scooted over to her side and took Sabrina’s hand in her own. “We aren’t sure, Brina,” Betty said somberly. “We found you on the floor of the funhouse, unconscious, and Malachi was gone. You looked unharmed physically, but we brought you back here since you seemed drugged.

Sabina shook her head as if trying to remember.

“Sabrina,” Zelda said softly. “Do you remember… do you think he-”

“No,” Sabrina said confidently. “I- I don’t have any pain other than a nasty headache. He didn’t-  _ that _ didn’t happen.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they let that facet of the puzzle digest in them. “If he didn’t want… _ that _ , then why did he drug you?” Veronica said aloud.

“Maybe that was his plan but Bett and Jughead interrupted?”

“No,” JB’s voice cut through the room, shakily. “No, I don’t think it was ever about Sabrina at all.”

“JB?” Jughead asked quizzically, cocking his head to the side.

“Malachi,” she began, pausing to take a deep breath. “Malachi is with the Stonewall pack. When I saw him with Sabrina I thought he was just spying on me and seeing if I was in fact a traitor to my pack. I didn’t know- I didn’t realize…”

“You should have told us, JB,” Betty said softly.

“I was going to, but he was  _ always  _ there watching me and I was  _ so  _ scared. He’s the one who… those bruises you saw… Malachi…”

Toni pulled JB into a tight hug but she pressed her away, not used to the comfort. “Sabrina, I’m  _ so  _ sorry. It’s  _ all _ my fault.”

Sabrina waved JB off. “We met before you came to town, JB. It was never about you. But I don’t understand, he didn’t have a pack brand like you said he would, FP.”

JB downed, the left side of her mouth tilting down just a bit. “Only the council gets brands now. It keeps everyone on their toes trying to “earn” a mark. None of us regular pack members have any pack insignia on our bodies.”

FP rubbed at his face and sighed. “Do you remember anything Sabrina? Anything at all about what he said or what you may have said to him?”

She solemnly shook her head. “Not at the moment. Maybe as the effects of the drug wear off completely I will, but I can guess and I bet you can, too.”

FP put up a hand to stop her from saying more. “Kids, why don’t you head home or back to the fair. We can take it from here. Betty, Jug, you stay behind.”

As they all shuffled out, Hilda, Alice, Zelda, and FP all exchanged looks. 

“You don’t have to tiptoe around it, guys,” Betty said, swallowing hard. “I know that he probably found out what he wanted to know all along. Stonewall must know I’m a fae.”

**Serpent Packhouse**

**JB’s Room**

“So, do they trust you?” Gladys’ voice hissed from the other end of the line.

JB sucked back a sniffle as a tear dropped from her eye and down the phone receiver.

“Yeah, I did what you asked and gave up Malachi. I think they do trust me now.”

“Good girl, Jelly,” Gladys crooned, her smirk of satisfaction practically oozing down the cord, through the wires, and into JB’s palm. “We’re going to need that trust for what’s coming next.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Follow @likemereckless on Tumblr for fic updates and fic recs!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pack Trials have finally arrived and new appointments bring more than the Serpent pack was prepared to handle...

**Stonewall Packhouse**

A loud raucous of screaming chanted its way down the stone corridors before the enormous wooden doors to the main hall burst open, slamming into the bricking behind them. Tall Boy, Gladys, and Hiram Lodge sat in high-backed chairs, tumblers full of amber liquid in hand, awaiting his news.

“Did you hear me?” Malachi laughed uncontrollably. “Can you even believe it? This is… I mean, I never in a million years expected… The things we can do!”

“Slow down, Usain Bolt,” Tall Boy said in annoyance, rubbing at his skull by his frontal lobe. “All we heard is a bunch of your crazy-ass rambling as you barreled down the hallway.”

“She’s a fairy, Alpha,” Malachi said giddily. “Betty Cooper is half-fucking-fae!”

Tall Boy froze in place, staring blankly at the wolf before him and Gladys scooted forward in her chair, bracing her hands on her knees before covering her mouth with her hands. For a few seconds, no one spoke and then, in a moment of complete jubilation, Gladys began to laugh, bubbling up from the depths of her belly, rocking her head back on her neck. Her laughter was contagious and soon her mate followed. Only Hiram Lodge remained silent, swirling the whiskey around in his glass.

“This… this is  _ too  _ good to be true!” Gladys chuckled out. “Do you  _ know  _ what kinds of things we could do with fae magic? We could rule over  _ all  _ packs. Not just the Serpents.”

“Especially if we had all three,” Hiram muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

“Three?” Malachi repeated, confused.

“Well you don’t just become a fairy, moron,” Tall Boy said, slapping him upside the head. “If Betty has fairy blood that means so do Alice and Polly. The line is passed down only on the maternal side when fae mate with non-fae.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Gladys said squinting. “The Serpents had not one, but  _ three  _ fae at their disposal and did  _ nothing  _ with them? I knew FP was a stupid son-of-a-bitch, but I had no idea he was  _ that  _ useless as well.”

“The bigger issue here is Polly,” Tall Boy interjected. “If she is that strong, why hasn’t she used her magic to get herself and Jason out of here?”

Hiram tapped at his lip and held out a hand, pausing their discussion. “Just because she has fae blood doesn’t mean that she can perform fae magic. She’s part fae and part human, or werewolf I suppose, even though she didn’t shift.”

“What does that have to do with magic? Betty is a half-blood too and she has magic,” Tall Boy said blankly.

Hiram nodded, pursing his lips. “I remember from research I had conducted years ago that for fae magic to work in the human world, for half-bloods anyway, they needed something to draw energy from. Some speculated it could be out of deep emotion- an emotion such as love. There were reports of fae powers materializing in moments of passion. Others speculated it could be drawn from the earth. Polly has spent her days in fear and anger. It would seem as if one of two possibilities are in occurrence. One, Polly simply didn’t inherit any fae magic because Hal’s genes were stronger within her, which is the most likely at this age. Or two, her powers haven’t yet manifested. It takes a lot more energy for fae powers to wake up when you aren’t a full-fledged fairy.”

“The soulmark,” Gladys mumbled to herself. “Betty and my son are soulmates, right? I could imagine that would be some hell of an energy burst, wouldn't you say?”

Hiram rose from his chair and fixed his suit jacket, readjusting the button closing the lush fabric before smoothing his hands down the lapels.

“Where are you going?” Tall Boy snapped, perturbed by the abrupt stance.

“New York,” Hiram replied. “I have friends who can provide me access to the restricted texts and the International Supernatural Archives. I’m going to find us a way to bind fairies so they can’t use their magic against us. We can’t just take them into our custody without a plan. We’d be blown to smithereens.”

“Them?” Gladys snarled.

“Oh, yes,” grinned Hiram. “Alice Cooper is officially off the kill list. You know what they say, two,” he shrugged, “maybe three, are better than one.”

  
  
  


**Serpent Training Grounds**

The time had come for young pack members to state their intentions in regards to the Serpent Pack. Intentions day was an important event in the pack hierarchy. Young adults finally declared their futures. Some would enter pack relations, planning and organizing events and ceremonies and overseeing pack affairs with the community. Others would choose to be healers, training with Mrs. Klump and Alice in the use of plants, herbs, and poultices. The last two sectors, pack council and pack military, went hand-in-hand in many ways. You could be elected to the council as a healer or pack relations member, but to be a head councilman or woman for the Alpha and Lumina, as Jughead and Betty were hoping for Archie and Toni to be, they needed to qualify for pack military first. Once they became a council member, they would spend more time dealing with politics and surrounding packs than protection, but it was the first step in the process.

Betty and Jughead led the forty-seven young pack members on a fifteen-mile run as the sun rose that morning while FP and the council, along with the heads of the other main departments, waited in the clearing, watching for their potential recruits. Impressing the older pack members was important. 

While everyone declared intentions, there were not enough positions available for every wolf. Some, like Veronica, opted out completely. Much to her father’s dismay, Veronica had no interest in pack politics and instead was currently drafting plans with an architect to open a luxury spa in Riverdale for humans and wolves alike, to bring in money for the pack. Her father had refused to back her investment, but Pop Tate offered to co-sign, enabling her to receive the loan she needed.

Jughead had spent most of the run silently communicating with Betty in regards to who already fell behind and how odd it was to be leading the run. She couldn’t have agreed more. Only in her wildest childhood dreams did she imagine herself one of the stronger head wolves in a pack being that she was only a half-blood. Halting to a stop on the clearing, they watched as FP and Fred ticked off notes on their clipboards, noting who was hunched over and gasping and who seemed to be fit to go further. 

Betty looked back and frowned at a few familiar faces, such as Ethel, who had fallen to the back of the crowd, knowing they would most likely not make the cut in the end, but was relieved to see Archie and Toni right behind them, leading up the young wolves alongside Kevin, Moose, Cheryl, Reggie and Chuck.

Hands on his hips, Jughead strode over to his father, Betty at his side. “We kept a fast pace as you asked. What happens next?”

FP clapped his son on the shoulder, proud of his confidence and bravado with the pack. He had been a timid boy but was now a man and a formidable wolf. “It’s time for a split. Have each of the recruits step forward and declare their intentions and then join their group leader. You and Betty will come with us for military and council trials.”

Jughead turned and prepared to move back to the recruits when FP grabbed his arm. “If you want Archie and Toni to be  _ truly  _ considered by the pack tonight when nominations for your councilman and councilwoman are in, you need to make sure they fight reputable wolves today. If they don’t fight strong wolves like Reggie and Chuck they may not have a leg to stand on.”

With a curt nod from Betty and Jughead towards FP, they jogged back over the pack. “Alright wolves. Assemble in a straight line and prepare to declare your pack intentions. Choose wisely. Once you have made your declaration you may not change your path. Your trials await you and by tonight some of you will be indoctrinated into your future professions and others will be cut.”

Jughead considered his next words carefully.

“Just because you are cut does not mean you are not an important member of this pack. There are plenty of high-ranking wolves who have been elected to the council who are business owners and do not hold in-pack positions. That being said, good luck to you all. Assemble!” 

The wolves scampered quickly to form a single-file line in front of their future Alpha and Lumina, one by one stating their intended path.

“Archibald Andrews. Pack military.”

“Cheryl Blossom. Pack relations.”

“Marmaduke Mason. Pack Military.”

“Antionette Topaz. Pack Military.”

“Ethel Muggs. Pack healer.”

The patterns continued until each of the forty-seven young wolves had announced their future dream. When each was situated by a pack elder, Mrs. Klump and Alice for the healers, and Hermione and Penelope for pack relations, FP stepped forward, waving Betty and Jughead over to join him. The excitement and energy in the field were palpable as the wolves bounced on their toes, filled with a frenzy of energy and adrenaline.

“As my son already stated earlier, you are  _ all _ important to this pack. We regretfully don’t have vacancies for each of you to take on, so compete as hard as you can today. Your performances today will account for a large portion of your score, coupled with your ranks from Sweet Pea’s training and past pack involvement. This year we have room for one healer and three openings in pack relations. Pack military does not have a cap as you know, but you will need certain scores to earn a position in the ranks.”

FP paused for a moment, swiping at his lip a bit as if deciding whether to continue or not.

“Also, tonight nominations will be held for your future Alpha and Lumina’s councilman and councilwoman. Unlike other elected council positions, for these, you  _ must _ qualify for pack military as you will be sworn to protect your leaders with your life. Wolves, work hard, do your best, and good luck!”

The healers and public relations competitors took off in opposite directions. The healers headed towards the garden grounds and PR back to the packhouse. FP nodded over to Sweet Pea and Fred who would be scoring the wolves left competing for rank in military positions. Taking his seat which had been set up in the field, FP signaled for Betty and Jughead to sit as well, their chairs stationed to his left.

“May I join you?” Hiram said in a friendly tone as he entered the clearing. “As a member of the council, I’m interested to see how our young wolves perform… especially my daughter’s mate.”

Fred tightened his lips into a grim line. He loved Veronica. She was fiercely loyal and good for his son. She pushed him to do better and kept him in line. Who he did not like was Veronica’s father. He and FP had many discussions about Hiram’s underhanded business dealing with humans and his possible ulterior motives in pack politics many times, but there was never any proof. If ever there was a king of deception it was Hiram Lodge and his motives and actions were about as easy to grasp as a wisp of smoke.

Fred plastered the warmest smile on his face, sensing, and secretly hoping, Hiram could sense the falsity in his grin. “Of course. All council members are welcome at the trials.”

Hiram grinned and nodded back. “Thank you. I know I’m not as high of a rank as you Fred, so I am honored with your acceptance of my presence.”

With the tension thick between the men, FP gestured towards Sweet Pea to begin the competition.

“Alright, pups!” Sweet Pea grinned. He lived for battle and the adrenaline that accompanied weaponry and forceful blows. He was a pack orphan and had it rough, FP had taken him into the packhouse permanently once he realized his guardians had been disciplining him in a more physical manner than necessary. For that, he was fiercely loyal to the Jones family and by default, the Coopers.

“We start the day as men and end the day as wolves,” he explained. “This morning we will have hand-to-hand combat and weaponry trials, followed by strategic planning and tracking over lunch. After that, you will fight one final time, in your wolf form. Have no doubt that you will leave here today, muscles aching, body torn, bleeding and exhausted. This is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t feel as if you can manage, or you are here because your folks insisted, I suggest you leave now.”

When no one budged, Sweet Pea grinned, his eyes glinting mischievously in the early morning mist. “Very well. Let the games begin!”

…..

The wolves spent about half an hour warming up with various exercises of their choice. Toni loosened her muscles through a combination of Yoga stretched and axe throwing, the perfect compliment to her. Feminine and delicate, yet deadly in an instant. Betty watched on, smiling inwardly. The boys would most definitely underestimate her and their greatest weakness would become her greatest strength today. Archie and Reggie engaged in some friendly sparring as Moose and Chuck opted for some lifting as they scoped out the strengths of the other candidates.

“Pups! Regroup!” Sweet Pea barked out, watching as the wolves scrambled to return their equipment and gather before him. “The first set of hand-to-hand fights have been randomly drawn. After that, I will be ranking and choosing your future opponents. Some of you may be incapacitated and unable to continue as the fights draw on. You will still have a place in the military, but will no longer be considered for a high rank should that occur. Questions?”

The wolves before him remained silent, hopping foot to foot to stay warm and energized, their adrenaline coursing through their veins and firing them up for battle. 

“First up is Doiley and Mason!” Sweet Pea called, gesturing towards the space in front of FP and the others. The other competitors stepped back, forming a semi-circle to watch and Sweet Pea moved to stand adjacent to Jughead, arms crossed on his chest in an intimidating stance. “First one to be pinned for longer than ten seconds, pass out, or give in, will forfeit the battle. Begin when you are ready.”

The fight was always going to be a quick one. Doiley wasn’t the largest, the strongest, or the fastest, but he knew that when he began. So did the elders. Dilton’s strengths were in strategy and tracking and for that, he would rank high enough to secure a decent position in the end. 

Moose offered Dilton an apologetic shrug before they began. He needed to be impressive in the fight portions since that  _ was  _ his strength and for that Dilton would get the full brunt of his power. Moose lunged forward and Dilton sucked under him, momentarily avoiding his grasp, but Moose had anticipated that and lurched out a leg, effectively tripping Dilton forward. Before his face could make friends with the mud, Moose grabbed him, wrapping one arm around his throat, suspending him forward. Rather than pummel his friend, he put force on a pressure point, Dilton struggling before slowly losing consciousness and going limp.

Hiram stood immediately and began belittling Moose’s plan. “You looked ready to attack him, son. Why would you show mercy and choose to use a pressure point? This is  _ war _ and battle. This is for your pack.”

“I did it for my pack, sir,” Moose explained. “I had planned on taking Dilton out, probably with one blow, and I do hope in my next fight you can see my talents, Mr. Lodge, Elders,” he said, nodding to them all. “But if I did that, Dilton would have been out for the day and he is by far the  _ best  _ strategist and tracker I’ve ever seen and he can’t miss the afternoon trials for that. So to answer your question, sir, I did it for the good of the pack.”

Hiram opened his mouth to speak again but FP jumped up to interrupt, offering a slight clap for Moose’s words. Once FP began, the other recruits took his lead and joined in.

“There are many ways to sacrifice,” FP spoke to the group. “And sacrificing your own ambition for the good of the pack is more than noble. You honor us with your dedication and loyalty, Mason. Pea… get him another opponent.”

Reshuffling the names had Moose facing off against Chuck, Toni versus a wolf named Aldo, Archie fighting Trevor, Reggie versus Adam, and Valerie up against Raj. Chuck, Toni, Reggie Archie, and Valerie bested their opponents easily and prepared for the next round. Toni and Val cheered the loudest for each other, being the only two females pursuing a military career. Historically, it was a male-led section of the pack and Toni had decided it was about time that changed. They waited, breathless, for their scores to be calculated. Sweet Pea took a moment to jot down notes with FP and the others before returning to the center.

“Some of your scores have qualified you for another fight. Winning your round did not necessarily guarantee you a high score. Your skills, moves, agility and tactics also played a role. Keep that in mind in the next round. Archie, you are up first versus Reggie.”

Before they could proceed, Veronica, clad in a form-fitting purple dress, adorned with her trademarked pearls, arrived in the clearing. Mates were allowed to watch their significant others under pack law, but many were competing for spots of their own and could not attend. Veronica was this year’s only exception.

Striding past the council members and her Alpha, she sauntered straight over to Archie, gripped his chin, and glued her lips to his own. The taste of expensive peach lipgloss lingered on his lips and his nose was filled with the heavy scent of her spicy fragrance. “Knock that cocky bastard straight to the ground Archiekins,” she said as she sashayed away, winking at him before tossing a dirty look to her father.

Archie and Reggie took center of the grounds. Archie pulled off his shirt for better mobility and Reggie did the same. This fight would not be as easy as the last for either of them. What Reggie lacked in brains he made up for in brawn, but he was reckless and impatient and Archie was neither of those things. He also had a personal stake in today’s fights. His lifelong friend, his future Alpha, and his metaphorical brother needed him to do well. Archie would give every last inch of himself today to stand by Jughead’s side as his councilman in the pack just as he knew Jughead would defend him through thick and thin.

Outstretching his hand, Archie offered Reggie a shake before the fight began. “Best of luck, Mantle,” he offered sincerely.

Reggie just side smirked as he returned the grip. “You’re gonna need luck, Andrews.”

They began their dance in a circle, sizing up the other as their friends and elders looked on. A few of the boys were so worked up over this particular match they began to shift as if out of the control. Toni just rolled her eyes, unable to handle their testosterone. “It’s called self-control, gentleman!” she had yelled at them as they howled. “Get some!”

The clank and crack of knuckles sounded loud in the open space as both boys took their stances. With a call from their referee, the battle began. The two began to sidestep on the short grass, the green of summer fading into a more mellowed tone, matted down by the stomping of feet and the heavy morning dew that had yet to clear.

Reggie swung first, Archie allowing the blow to land smack on his jaw, boosting Reggie’s already overconfident approach to their rumpus. Reggie puffed up in a self-congratulatory manner, strutting like peacock back a few paces. Archie licked at his lips tasting the copper tang of blood mixed with the lingering sweetness of his mate’s peach lipgloss. Then with a slight chuckle, he dove in, taking Reggie by surprise and delivering a few quick jabs to his ribs and face.

“Get him, Arch!” Betty called out in support of her friend and the howls and cried amplified along the sidelines.

Jab upon jab and blow after blow, the boys continued to brawl, both evenly matched. Archie knew the end of the battle would come down to sheer exhaustion if he didn’t think fast.

_ “This is so intense, Jug,”  _ Betty shared.  _ “My heart is in my throat right now.” _

_ “Archie has this,”  _ Jughead assured her.  _ “Reggie is losing steam and getting smug.” _

Reggie approached at a run and Archie sucked in a deep breath, arching his back and allowing Reggie’s blow to hit him full force, turning slightly so it avoided his ribs and instead slammed into his stomach. Falling to his knees, the wind knocked out of him, he sucked in harsh breaths as Reggie preened and danced around. When the moment came and Reggie danced by, Archie sprung from his knees and knocked Reggie to the ground with one final, unexpected blow to the head.

The wolves went wild, shocked and impressed by Archie’s quick thinking and prowess on the battlefield and FP, Jughead, and Sweet Pea stood and applauded. Betty ran over with Veronica to swing their arms around Archie and partially support his exhausted frame. 

After a few moments of ruckus, Sweet Pea made himself heard over the crowd.

“Settle down!” he boomed through the commotion. “Topaz and Mason, you’re up! Followed by Clayton and Brown!”

…..

The trials continued as the day went on. After Archie and Reggie’s battle things had calmed for a while. The highlight was Toni beating Chuck in a weaponry battle with a pole-axe and a war-scythe. Before they knew it they were standing in a line in front of the elders, awaiting their ranks.

“Alright, wolves,” FP boomed out. “You all fought well today. I was on the edge of my seat for a good part of the day. I might even dare to say these were the most intense trials I have ever seen.”

FP swaggered forward, a piece of paper held right in his fist. “What we have here today is unprecedented. Three of our competitors are dead-locked in a tie. Archie Andrews. Toni Topaz. Chuck Clayton. Would you please step forward?”

A hum of mumbling sounded throughout the remaining competitors as the three stepped forward, facing their Alpha. FP bit at his lip, looking up at the sky. For such an auspicious and exciting occasion he looked dejected and grim, his face crestfallen. Rubbing at his nose he finally spoke.

“We had to search pack ruling and law to determine what was protocol in such an event.” 

FP stopped again and glanced over at Fred who swiped a hand across his face and turned his back, hunching over his knees.

“Pack… pack law states that should a tie occur, the issue should be settled by a battle… to death. By doctrine, you may choose wolf form or weapons of your choice.”

“Weapons!” Chuck cried out in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy.

Betty gripped Jughead’s wrist tightly, without a doubt leaving a bruising ring around the skin there and he gripped her knee back with just as much force. The other wolves gasped and cried out in shock.

Chuck picked up his battle-axe from before and tossed a war-scythe at Toni’s feet and another axe at Archie’s. Ever so slowly and tentatively, they picked up their weapons, glancing nervously between each other as Chuck paced the grounds, pounding his chest and psyching himself up.

Toni creased her brows and Archie shook his head and at the very same moment, tossed their weapons to the ground.

“Pick up your weapons!” Chuck yelled out, loud in the complete silence of the field. “Are you scared?! Have some honor! Die with honor!”

Archie and Toni glanced between each other again before grabbing the other’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

“Any pack bloodshed is too much bloodshed,” Toni said softly.

“The pack needs all its top warriors. I forfeit as well,” Archie echoed.

Chuck growled in anger. “NO!” he cried out, brandishing his axe higher and coming towards them.

“Enough!” Jughead’s voice rang over Chuck’s growl. “There is no fight to the death law in pack doctrine. This was a test. A test you failed, Chuck.”

Jughead turned to the rest of the competitors. “We achieve as one or die as many. Moose led by example earlier and Archie and Toni, they learned and took his example. They honored the pack. Since the two are not competing for the same military position in the pack, I declare them both the top competitors of this year’s trials.”

Applause broke out and Archie and Toni hugged triumphantly.

“They’re his friends!” Chuck yelled in furious anguish. “He’s showing favoritism. I demand another council member to lay judgement.”

Jughead stood as tall as he could. He was not as broad as Chuck, not as filled out, but his Alpha designation left his stature formidable nonetheless. 

“Are you questioning your future Alpha, Clayton?” Jughead asked angrily. “Are you questioning my intentions for the good of the pack?”

Chuck stood silent, seething with a hard gaze.

When he didn’t respond, Jughead chuckled softly at his submission. “That’s what I thought.”

Turning, Jughead began to walk back over to where Archie and Toni stood. Chuck’s breathing became erratic and rapid as his fists clenched and blood boiled. In a moment of blind fury, he dug his heels into the ground and charged forward toward Archie and Jughead. With his back turned, Jughead didn’t see the forward motion, but Betty did. Springing into action, she raced forward, chest colliding with Chuck’s as she propelled him backward, muttering, “Turin nin na ang,” turn me to iron, to add weight to her blow to combat his size.

With her knees pressing into his neck, she held him to the ground, but not before his fingers left a deep scratch down the side of her cheek. Jughead’s nostrils flared as he spun on the spot, the odor of his mate’s exposed blood was recognizable to him in any setting. In that instant, one fraction of a second, his jaw was aching and teeth pulsing with the need to shift and tear out the throat of whoever had marred her skin. Though Betty had Chuck subdued, Jughead stalked over to his prone form and replaced her knees with his boot, pinning Chuck down to the ground by his throat and growling ferociously, adding more pressure by the second.

“Jughead,” FP warned, not wanting him to create a scene with so many prying eyes present.

_ “I’m fine,”  _ Betty told him softly.  _ “He’s not worth causing a pack uproar over.” _

He didn’t remove his boot from Chuck’s throat but he did slightly ease up on the pressure. Turning to Betty he dragged a thumb down her cheek tenderly and she embowed her cheek up into his palm. Carefully, he pulled down the neckline of his shirt and exposed his mark, ignoring the surprised chatter of the pack around him, and held Betty’s gaze, clearly intending to make a show of power at that moment. With a soft nod from Jughead, Betty leaned forward and sank her teeth into their mark, drinking him in languidly and only a little. They had gotten  _ much  _ more controlled since mauling each other in the McCoy’s study.

Wolves pointed and gasped as they witnessed Betty’s wound begin to heal as she pulled her lips, stained crimson with his blood, back from his neck, pupils blown wide and eyes hooded and glazed over. Chuck let out a slight squeak on the ground and Jughead shoved his boot a little harder down onto this throat as he leaned down to kiss Betty shamelessly, long and thorough, his fingers weaving their way into her ponytail as he cleaned her lips. When he finally let up for air, he removed his boot, tossing his head over his shoulder to spit on Chuck’s prone form, before guiding Betty away from the field, not offering a glance back.

“There will be repercussions,” Jughead yelled out sharply. “No one, and I mean no one, puts a hand on my mate.”

As Jughead cleared the field, FP restored order and finished announcing the results. Hiram helped Chuck out of the competitive arena and from the look they exchanged FP knew there would be hell to pay for how this all went down.

**Solomon’s Grotto**

They still came out here from time to time when pack life became too much. The peace and quiet granted them moments of serenity that were otherwise lost to them during their busy days. 

The fall air was cool as Betty reclined back against Jughead’s chest, a buffalo plaid blanket wrapped around them both as he ducked his head underneath to kiss at the juncture of her neck.

“That tickles, Jug,” Betty giggled, only urging him to continue sliding his nose and lips against the soft skin there.

“Smell good,” he mumbled into her hair, inhaling deeply.

Betty arched her neck back, her lips seeking his in sloppy deep kisses that burned with promise.

“Do you remember when you told me you loved me here, Jug?” she breathed again this cheek, rubbing her nose lightly against his.

“Hmmm,” he hummed back, smirking down and pulling her to nestle further into his chest. “How could I forget? You didn’t say it back right away. You made me stew for a few moments.”

“You told me I took your breath away, Jug. It takes a girl a minute to recover from a declaration like that. It was… surreal. You loving me was surreal. Sometimes I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like my life can’t be this… wonderful.”

Jughead dropped his arm back and shrugged the blanket off of their shoulders and down to the ground behind him. Turning to his side, he pressed her back down onto the ground, sliding his own body over hers.

“You deserve everything good that comes to you, Betty. Your heart is true and your soul is beautiful. Fate won’t mess that up… but I wouldn’t mind messing you up a little bit,” he smirked down at her.

Betty tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and smirked back. “Just a little bit?” she teased.

“Okay, maybe a lot. I’ve been in a semi-permanent state of arousal since you almost crushed Chuck’s windpipe.”

“No more mentioning of Chuck,” Betty warned as her hands began unbuckling his belt and his hands reached for her own buttons.

Quickly, Betty flipped them so she was on top, shimmying pants down and off before straddling him and sliding herself down slowly.

“Yeah?” he asked, gripping her hip tightly, helping her set a steady pace.

“Yeah,” she smiled back. “S’good.”

Jughead sat up, lifting her by the hips to avoid pressure on her knees on the hard ground and pressed his forehead into hers, watching their bodies connect between them. Betty mewled against him, biting at his lip, her hands gripping tightly at the back of his hair, biting down on their mate mark as her body trembled beneath him. He sank his teeth into her mark as well, letting their mutual lust and admiration fill him to the brim.

They lay back after, quiet, kissing any skin they could reach as they reveled in just being close as he fingered the moon charm she still wore around her neck.

“What are you thinking?” she asked softly as his thumb brushed the charm.

“I’m thinking… how can I be jealous of jewelry? It gets to graze your chest all day and I have to schedule time in between pack duties for that.”

Betty giggled and slapped his chest.

“Ouch, woman. I kid! I was just thinking about that night in the study after Veronica’s party,” Jughead said, swallowing and chuckling self consciously. “I was so confident about my future as Alpha and thought I was ready to run a pack, but I was afraid to kiss a girl.”

“I’m glad you kissed me, Jug,” Betty breathed, kissing his shoulder. 

“Me too, Cooper,” he said, rolling over her. “Me too.”

Betty gasped and arched up against him. “Again, Jug? Really?”

“We’ve gotta make the most of the time we have, Betts,” he shrugged, kissing his way down her stomach. “We’ve got an hour. How many times do you think I can make you unravel before the pack meeting?”

“Well, your record is five, so at least that,” Betty teased with an arch of her brow.

“Challenge accepted.”

  
  


**Serpent Packhouse**

“I’d like to call this session to order,” FP called from his high-backed chair, seated atop a platform in the pack house’s main hall. Betty, Jughead, and the pack council were seated with him. With the night’s nominations for councilman, councilwoman, and head military advisor, the meeting was mandatory. as pPack law required eighty-five percent of the pack to be present for a vote. Those who had procured positions in the pack during trials would also be presented that evening. 

Rising from his chair, FP shuffled forward a bit to address his pack.

“Before we begin general business tonight we must take the time to thank and congratulate all the young initiates who vied for pack positions at this year’s trials. Will all those who participated please rise.”

As the forty-seven young wolves rose, the pack erupted in a raucous of applause. 

“Whether you obtained your desired position or not, we appreciate your dedication and willingness to serve. There will always be a place for you here with the Serpents. There will always be a need for you and a job that needs doing. You  _ are  _ important to this pack.”

Another loud flurry of claps rang through the hall and FP settled them quickly. 

“Now I know you’re all waiting in anticipation, so I’d like to, for the very first time on official pack business, turn the floor over to your future Alpha and Lumina, who will share with you the results of today’s trials.”

Betty and Jughead rose from their seats, linking their fingers together as they crossed the platform together. Their need for a constant connection was still lingering from their blood exchange earlier.

“This year proved some of the closest trials our pack has ever seen,” Jughead began. “As my father said earlier, everyone should be proud of their effort and skill shown today.”

“This year there was one opening for pack healer,” Betty smiled. Melody Valentine, would you please come forward and be received by the pack as our newest healer.”

Melody ran forward, cheers ringing through the room and stood front and center for the pack to see.

“Three wolves have earned the right to fill the openings in pack relations,” Jughead continued. “Kevin Keller, Ginger Lopez, and…Cheryl Blossom. Please come forward.”

As they approached the stage more applause rang out, Cheryl rolling her eyes at Jughead’s taunt.

“This year the pack saw the closest results in pack military trials in decades. Since all competing wolves earn a place as a soldier, we ask that you all stand for a moment to be recognized,” Betty shared as the room clapped again.

“While many become soldiers, some have the capacity to become top military leaders. This year, the highest rank ended in a tie. Archie Andrews and Toni Topaz, please take the stage,” Jughead said proudly, grinning at his best friends.

When all the new initiates were excitedly welcomed, FP came forward again, ushering them back to their seats to continue with the night’s business.

“This year we have some extra responsibility to fulfill,” FP shared. “Our next Alpha and Lumina require a council of their own and a councilman, councilwoman, and head of military must be elected to their sides. We begin the night with nominations for councilwoman. Betty, do you have a nominee?”

“Yes, Alpha. I’d like to nominate Antionette Topaz for the position of councilwoman to the Lumina.”

“Will anyone second the nomination?”

“I will second the nomination of Antionette Topaz,” Veronica stood and yelled out through the hall.

FP smiled over at Toni before continuing. “Are there any other nominations for councilwoman?”

“I’d like to nominate Ethel,” Dillon called out.

Though it barely registered on his face, Betty could tell FP was shocked, though he did an excellent job masking his surprise. She had to admit she was shocked herself. She thought of spending hours on end with Ethel, who she didn’t  _ dislike _ , and her pretentious demeanor made her want to throw up in her mouth just a little.

“Do I have a second?” FP called out to the pack. His question was met with silence as he waited the full minute required. 

_ “Betts,” _ Jughead communicated.  _ “When we are sworn in, the first order of business is we have to change that wait time to thirty seconds. That was downright awkward.” _

_ “I thought I was going to have to pull some serious fae antics just now to squash that bug,”  _ Betty said relieved.

“With no second and no other nominations, the position of councilwoman to the Lumina falls to Toni Topaz. You’ll be sworn in at the Moon Ceremony. Congratulations.”

Betty sagged a bit, releasing a breath she had been holding before allowing herself a jubilant smile. One down, two to go.

“Next we will open the floor for nominations for Councilman to the Alpha. Jughead, boy, do you have a nominee?” FP asked.

“I would like to nominate Archie Andrews for the position of councilman,” Jughead said proudly.

FP glanced round the room casually before speaking, trying to remain calm. He knew this nomination would receive some pushback. “Is there a second for this nomination?” 

“I’d like to second Archie Andrews,” Cheryl said abruptly, almost cutting FP off.

“Very well. Are there any other nominations for councilman?”

“I’d like to nominate Chuck Clayton,” Hiram said cooly, nodding over to Chuck.

“And I second,” Trevor Brown said meekly, though with Mr. Clayton’s hand gripping Trevor’s shoulder like a vice and his eyes downcast, it appeared less like a willing nomination and more like a forced hand.

“Very well,” FP said calmly. “Jughead and Hiram, you will each speak on behalf of your pack candidates and it will be put to a vote. Hiram, you may begin.”

Hiram stood and straightened his tie, fixing the collar of his shirt as well. His shoes were shined and his hair was perfectly coiffed. He was the picture of a perfect political candidate, no doubt spruced up to add an air of importance on his candidate’s behalf.

“Thank you, Alpha,” Hiram said quite officially. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Chuck Clayton his whole life. His father has been an asset to our pack and our military force for many years. Chuck has the instinctual qualities that the pack needs to ensure its survival. We need a candidate who will be strong enough and strong-willed enough to  _ protect _ our future Alpha.”

Hiram paused for a moment, bringing his fingers to his lips. “Now, I  _ like _ Archie Andrews. Obviously, he is my daughter’s chosen mate. I also like his father, Fred. But Archie and Chuck are two very different animals. Archie, like Fred, is soft. Our pack has not one, but two wolves missing and yet, we’ve barely moved to rectify that. Why? The guidance our leadership has is not fierce enough. Chuck Clayton has the energy this pack needs to be reborn. Consider that when you cast your votes.”

Hiram gazed out over the pack one final time before returning to his chair. FP arched his eyebrows worriedly at his son as Jughead rose and took center stage. Unlike Hiram, he was not dressed to impress. He wore his usual jeans and t-shirt with his suspenders hanging below the waist. He considered putting them upright for just a moment but he heard Betty’s scoff of “don’t be ridiculous” in his head.

“Serpents,” Jughead began, remembering his father had told him always to address the pack directly and not speak  _ at _ them. “I’ve known since I was a small child that one day I’d become Alpha of this pack. This isn’t a new revelation or role that was sprung upon me. I’ve had years to familiarize myself with its cogs and bolts, what makes it run well. So, when I assure you I put a great deal of thought into my choice for councilman, I tell you no lie.”

Jughead gestured towards Archie, encouraging the pack to turn and look at him. Jughead understood this was as much about Archie presenting himself well as it was about his speech. Hiram neglected that aspect. Archie rose from his seat and stood stoically, plastering the most serious look he could muster.

  
  


“Today, Chuck Clayton was willing to battle two of our pack members to the death.  _ Death _ . He was willing to do this so that he could have a higher rank on a piece of paper. To be more highly sought after tonight. Archie understood that all pack life is important and we should choose our battles wisely, refusing to murder and laying down his weapon. For those of you who knew my grandfather, you knew bloodshed here. You knew of years without free will and choice, and knew what it was to be constantly glancing over your shoulder in fear. We are no longer that pack. When necessary, I do not doubt that Archie Andrews would fight fiercely and sacrifice himself for all of you. But he also wouldn’t put us in an unnecessary position of violence to prove his own brute force and importance. Archie puts the pack first and  _ that _ is why he is my choice for councilman.”

After thanking the pack Jughead sat, nervously blowing out a breath he had been holding. Betty squeezed his knee and shared that his speech was perfect. They both hoped the pack agreed.

“Alright Serpents, we will start the old fashioned way and default to paper and pencil if it’s too close a call. All those in favor of Chuck Clayton for councilman?”

A few scattered hands raised and FP suppressed a grin. If his son wasn’t an Alpha, he would definitely be a writer with that inspired speech of his.

“All those in favor of Archie Andrews?”

The rest of the pack rose in solidarity, tipping the scale far over the required percentage for the win.

“It’s been decided. And with that, I am proud to announce Archie Andrews as councilman to my son.”

The pack applauded and Jughead let out a relieved breath. A clattering crash came from the back of the room as Chuck flung his chair and stalked out of the room, only further demonstrating what Jughead had said before.

“Alright, folks, last order of elections here tonight is for their chief military officer. Earlier tonight Betty and Jughead expressed their wish to nominate none other than our very own pack trainer, Sweet Pea.”

At Sweet Pea’s shocked expression, multiple voices called out, “I second!” before FP could even ask. 

“Are there any other nominations?”

After moments of silence, FP grinned ear to ear and clapped a shocked, but pleased, looking Sweet Pea, who was seated on the stage, hard on the back.

“Well then, congratulations, Pea. I think we are all in agreement that this promotion is well deserved.”

The pack had gone wild and FP allowed it. Sweet Pea worked hard and deserved his moment of recognition. He was sure there would be much celebrating after the meeting. When all was quiet again he continued, smiling.

“That concludes tonight’s elections. If there is no other pack business this evening then I-”

“Hold on,” Hiram interjected, a sly grin on his lips. “There is another matter of pack business that must be addressed this evening.”

FP blew out a breath in annoyance and plastered his hands on his hips, turning to his most hated councilman. “What is so urgent that it must be discussed tonight?”

Hiram’s eyes crinkled like that of a spider whose dinner just fell into his web and FP knew immediately that indulging him was a grave error.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring up the happy news yourself, Alpha,” Hiram drawled facetiously as he turned to face the pack. “The fact of the matter is our future Lumina just finished her first heat. Isn’t that right, Jughead?”

Betty’s stomach whirled and her vision blurred as Hiram exposed her most private secret to the entirety of their pack and Jughead felt as if he’d been sucker-punched in the chest. 

“Jughead?” Hiram repeated again, obnoxiously.

“Uh, ye- yes,” he muttered clearing his throat, remembering to speak more excitedly as the pack would expect him to be more animated and overjoyed by the prospect of children. “Yes, she did. We did, Mr. Lodge.”

Shocked gasps and excited whispers stirred through the crowd as all eyes fell to Betty’s stomach. Betty herself unconsciously placed a palm there.

“Well, congratulations. And  _ so _ young, too,” Hiram chuckled. “I wish you and your pups good health a fortune. But, you know, I  _ was  _ curious as to why Betty hasn’t visited our pack healers yet for examination and confirmation as is customary one-week post-heat.”

And there it was. Hiram knew. He knew they had broken pack law and had found his loophole to bring repercussions down on their heads.

FP ran a hand through his hair and thought on his feet. They may be called serpents, but he had dealt with snakes like Hiram before and wouldn’t let him get the upper hand.

“Honestly with trials, Polly and Jason, and Jellybean returning, the time just wasn’t right. We did plan on making a visit this week to confirm Betty’s pregnancy,” FP lied, quite effectively.

“I’m sure Mrs. Klump and Hermione would be more than available tomorrow, as would the council as witnesses of confirmation of this auspicious event. Would that be favorable to you?”

There was no way to refuse. Betty wrapped her fingers through Jughead’s and squeezed tightly, cutting off the blood flow in his hand.

“Tomorrow would be fine, of course,” FP agreed, backed into a corner in this public venue. “If that is all and there is no more pack business, I adjourn tonight’s meeting. Go celebrate with our newly elected officials.”

Time passed slowly and for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, Betty and Jughead were obliged to shake hands and endure congratulations as they both forced their lungs to breathe. Neither could calm or comfort the other as they were both on the edge of a cliff together. When the last stragglers left, Betty sucked in a heavy breath and walked out the back doors, feet treading heavily on the stone floor as she all but ran to their bedroom.

He found her there in tears. Hot, wet tracks down the smoothness of her cheeks. Frantically she paced the floor, chest heaving, fingernails assaulted by her teeth.

“Betts,” Jughead choked out, feeling helpless at the moment. She stopped mid-stride and stared at him forlornly, pressing the back of her hand to her lips as she attempted to choke back a sob.

Jughead was across the room in seconds, wrapping her in his arms. He could feel the despondency washing over her as she sagged again this chest, allowing him to support her weight.

“I’m so sorry, Juggie,” she bawled into the soft fabric of his word t-shirt. “This- this is all my fault.”

He shook his head and gripped her tighter, pulling her close. Dropping his neck downward more, Jughead allowed his lips to graze her ear as he spoke softly, calm.

“No. No, Betty, this is Hiram Lodge making a power play. This is in no way, shape, or form your fault.”

Betty’s arms, which had hung limply at her sides until now, came up to press against his chest, pushing back at his embrace. 

“But it is, Jug!” she cried out in desperation. “Stop comforting me and coddling me! Every action has a consequence and this is the cost of mine!  _ You _ wanted our pups! It was me who said I wasn’t ready yet!  _ I _ defied pack law.  _ I _ drank the potion and now you and FP will pay for that mistake.”

As Jughead watched the woman in his arms breakdown, his heart shattered into a million pieces. This was ludicrous. A council of men should not have the ability to decide whether or not Betty’s body should be a mandatory vessel for reproduction. Pups should be a happy time for them, not an issue of terror and fear.

“We will figure this out, Betts,” he cooed softly into her ear. “We always do. I’m not going to let Hiram Lodge tear us apart and I can literally feel you in my chest right now, splintering. It will be okay.”

He wasn’t sure if his words helped or made things worse because at that moment, if it was even possible, Betty began to lose all her meticulously crafted composure. Her entire body trembled like a faultline and he could barely support her any longer. Scooping her up into his arms, Jughead stalked across the room and lowered himself into the plush armchair near the sofa, cradling her on his lap as her body shook, “I’m sorry,” spilling from her lips over and over.

Jughead stroked down the back of her hair and spine, tenderly, sharing all his words of love and warmth privately, unable to speak his heart aloud.

_ “We can run away, Betty, if we have to,” _ he had promised her, pressing his hand to her partially exposed soulmark.  _ “There is no role, no pack, no commitment on this earth more real to me than the one I made to you. You are what matters to me and I won’t let anything happen to us. You are quite actually my soul, forged and imbedded within me, Betty Cooper, and there is nothing that can sever that covenant we swore to one another.” _

Her breath hitched at his words of devotion and she knew his sentiments to be true. She could feel them herself as they ebbed between them and they were the same for her. She was tethered to his very existence as he was to hers. Her lips searched for his seemingly out of their own volition and they kissed with solemn ardor, chaste yet full of unspoken want and adoration.

“And here I thought you two would be reeling in panic,” Toni said as she entered the room, Alice, FP, JB, and Archie at her side while they were locked in an embrace of anguish, Betty still cradled on his lap, bolstered by his chest. “But no, true to form you’re sucking face. Why am I not surprised?”

Betty turned towards the intrusion and then they could see her tear-stained cheeks, eyes red and swollen from the emotional onslaught. For a moment she considered removing herself from his lap, but her limbs were simply too in need of his own at the moment.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed quietly. “I’m just so emotional and I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I should be thinking of a plan or hunting down Hiram Lodge and ripping his throat out but instead, I’m a useless puddle of blubbering tears. FP, you must hate me. This is entirely my fault…”

FP crossed the room in seconds and kneeled before them, a submissive move rarely conducted by someone of his status, but FP was nothing if not an unusual Alpha.

“Now you listen here, kiddo, and you listen well. I knew that you were taking that potion. Hell, I even fed it to Jughead during that heat just in case. And if it comes to blows with the pack, I will support you and back you completely. This is minor, Betty. It won’t be the hill the Jones family legacy dies on.”

“FP, they will use this to attempt to usurp you,” Betty cried. “Hiram has clearly been looking for his smoking gun for a while and we were an easy target.”

Alice came forward quickly, shaking her head to nullify Betty’s words. “No, Elizabeth. Don’t you even think you brought this down upon the pack. If the blame should be placed anywhere it’s on me. I didn’t even ask you or give you a choice that first night at Hilda’s before the mating ceremony. I just selfishly tipped that bottle against your lips and you trusted I knew what was best. I projected my own life on you and my own wants. This is my fault.”

Toni and Archie stood back with JB, unravelling the pieces to the puzzle. Toni’s main question regarding whether Betty was pregnant had been somewhat answered and even Archie had caught on to their illegal contraception usage.

“This is shit,” Toni spat from the doorway. “I know for a fact that almost all the female wolves use some form of birth control until they want pups. Why should you be obligated to breed? You’re not a prize horse.”

“It’s pack law, Toni,” Archie said softly. “Veronica and I talked about how unfair it was just last week after…” he trailed off looking at his friends, still cuddled up in the chair.

A heavy silence hung about them for a moment before Jughead exhaled softly. “We need a plan. Is there a potion or a spell Hilda can use to fool them just for now?”

Alice shook her head. “I already called before we came upstairs. Meddling with life, whether ending or creating, are dangerous forms of dark magic she won’t perform on Betty. They leave traces that can be permanent.”

“Then we get Mrs. Klump to lie… or Hermione,” Archie said quickly, clearly distressed by his friend’s predicament. “Surely one of them would be motivated by a payoff.”

“No,” Alice spoke quietly. “It’s too risky. We can’t create another scandal. This will be on me. We’re going to tell them I’ve been poisoning your tea, Betty. I was worried you’d follow in my footsteps, betrothed to a wolf and stuck in a pack you never wanted.” She glanced over to FP lovingly to show him her sentiment here wasn’t true.

Jughead moved Betty from his lap and stood them both up in haste. “Alice, no!” Jughead cried. “They  _ will  _ sentence you to death for poisoning a Lumina, whether she’s your daughter or not. I  _ won’t  _ allow it. You’re too important to us.”

Alice’s expression softened as Betty wept softly, a quiet ‘Mom’ spilling from her lips as she reached for her mother’s embrace, one Alice indulged, pulling Jughead in as well.

“Where will you go? You’d have to run. I can’t allow that, Mom.” Betty sniveled against her.

“I’ll go home, Betty,” Alice explained sincerely.

“Alice, please,” FP’s eyes watered. “I can’t lose you. We can go somewhere together…”

Alice pressed a gentle kiss to Betty’s head and then Jughead’s before leaving their embrace and turning toward FP. She pressed a gentle hand to his cheek and smiled at him lovingly. “The pack needs you, FP. You can’t run from them. Betty and Jughead aren’t ready to take over yet. Maybe someday I could return…but the pack needs you.”

He took her palm and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss there before pressing it to his heart. “And I need you.”

Toni had tucked herself into Archie’s shoulder, embracing him tightly. A night of such happiness had been fractured in a manner of moments.

“No,” JB said forcefully, finally speaking up. “No. This isn’t right. You’re going to say I did it. You’re going to say it was me.”

All eyes in the room turned towards her quickly.

“Look, I came from a rival pack that is actively trying to take you down. I showed up  _ exactly  _ when Betty went into heat. The timeline and circumstances are perfect. I may be blood, but you guys are a family and you’ve welcomed me so warmly, beyond anything I’ve ever felt. Let me do this for you. I was going off on my own anyway.”

“Jellybean,” Jughead choked out. 

“No arguments,” JB insisted. “I’m doing this whether or not you approve and then I’m going off to find my own life… away from all this.”

The rest of the night was somber and quiet. Everyone retreated to their own rooms and quiet thoughts and s JB lay in her own bed she contemplated her actions from earlier in the evening. Why had she said that? Where did the thought even come from? She knew the plan that Stonewall had in place would be put in motion that very next morning. None of what happened tonight would even matter, but still, she felt compelled to give them peace of mind that they would be together. Rolling over under her covers she closed her eyes, wondering why the thought that by noon tomorrow they’d all be torn apart bothered her so much.

**Hiram Lodge’s Study**

**The Pembrooke**

He was destined for this. His lot in life had always been to be greater but his wolf of a father had squashed that when he saddled him to pack life. Perhaps if his human mother had married her own kind and he was born of any other circumstance he would be a business tycoon on Wall Street or the CEO of a Fortune 500, but he was here in Riverdale, a big fish in a tiny pond. Granted, he was still successful and wealthy with a plethora of connections. But he wanted more.

That would change tomorrow.

His plans for the land Stonewall would provide him were but a stepping stone. He’d dissolve all the packs if he had to in order to create his business empire. He stared down at his blotter and the materials there, waiting for Bret to come and collect them for use in tomorrow’s coup. 

Hiram’s exploits in the supernatural archives in New York had proved very fruitful. His old friend had allowed him unrestricted access to the oldest files on record and there he had spotted their solution; a way to bind fae to work your intended magic. The spell was uncomplicated in nature, but the necessary materials had been hard to find. Prudence, a contact of his stationed at the academy, was happy enough to invoke the incantation for a piece of the pie while Bret would handle the physical aspect of carving the rune into the fae’s skin with the runic dagger he had obtained earlier.

By this time tomorrow, he would hopefully have possibly three fae under his control and the world at his feet.

“Knock knock, Daddy,” Veronica said as she entered her father’s domain.

“Mija,” he smiled. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Veronica removed the cape she wore and lay it over the back of one of his leather chairs, her eyebrows downcast and fingers playing lightly with the pearls she always wore, a gift from him.

“I came to ask a favor, Daddy. One that’s very important to me,” Veronica said firmly. “Tomorrow, I need mother to examine Betty when she visits the healers.”

Hiram pretended to look baffled and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

“And why would that matter, Mija? Surely Betty is comfortable with Mrs. Klump as well. She’s been the head physician since you were children.”

Veronica paused, not sure how much she should say, but threw caution to the wind anyway. “What if the results are less than desirable? A number of us young wolves who just mated take… measures to ensure we don’t breed right away.”

“And for you that is fine,” Hiram said, lifting his crystal glass to hip lips and sipping the amber liquid inside. “But Betty is bound by pack law and I’m sure our future Lumina wouldn’t jeopardize things. Regardless, your mother is already going to be performing the exam herself, so sleep well Mija knowing your friend is in good hands.”

Veronica smiled grimly and nodded to her father before brandishing her cape again and heading back out into the hall, Hiram smiling at the beauty of it all. Once Hermione confirmed Betty was in fact, not carrying the future Alpha’s pups, Hiram could convince her to come quietly and save the Joneses and unbeknownst to her they’d be taken care of already.

It was a perfect plan and it thrilled him inside. There was nothing Hiram loved more than money, good liquor, and subterfuge.

**Pack Infirmary**

Betty blanched at the sterile smell of antiseptic as they sat in waiting. She had Jughead, her mother, JB and FP at her side. Toni and Archie waited outside with Sweet Pea, their guard now accompanying them on all official business. Across the room, members of the council sat in waiting, as was tradition, to be witnesses to the good news of their future offspring. Her stomach flip-flopped at the thought.

She glanced around and took in her surroundings. She was sure humans who read werewolf novels would imagine some wooden hut, incense burning and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling while an eccentric old woman stoked a fire to be their healer’s quarters. But in truth, Mrs. Klump, who was human, had a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and had turned down a residency at New York- Presbyterian Hospital in favor of Riverdale General after she fell in love with a werewolf. When she wasn’t on pack business, she still worked at the main hospital with Hermione Lodge, her apprentice, holding down the fort on pack grounds.

“Betty?” Hermione called, opening the door from the back of the room. “Mrs. Klump is at the hospital today, so I’ll be seeing you. Come on back.”

Sucking in a nervous breath and standing on shaky limbs, Betty gripped Jughead’s hand tightly as he followed her back, unable to glance at the elders watching from across the room. Once they were behind closed doors, Betty let out a breath she had been holding and stretched her tense neck.

“Nervous?” Hermione asked sympathetically as Betty nodded. “Don’t be. It doesn’t hurt, just a little uncomfortable. Undress and we will get the ultrasound done first. Then I’ll draw some blood and check your levels. I’ll give you a few minutes.”

“Are you ready?” Jughead breathed out heavily as Betty undressed and fashioned the paper-wrap gown around herself.

“No,” she replied softly as a knock sounded on the door and Hermione returned.

“Are you ready to see your baby… or maybe babies?” she asked excitedly, as Betty and Jughead plastered fake smiles to their faces.

A yell from the front detracted their attention for a moment and Jughead frowned at the unexpected commotion.

“Probably just the boys being boys,” Hermione offered.

Jughead wasn’t so sure. Something felt off in his gut and Betty could feel his discomfort. “Go, Jug. Go check it out.”

“Are you sure? It will just take a minute.” Squeezing his hand, Betty pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

“Go,” she smiled as he dropped her hand and headed back out the door.

“Should we wait?” Hermione asked Betty as she climbed up into the chair.

“No, he’ll be back soon enough. I’m anxious for this to be done,” Betty breathed out nervously.

Hermione readied the equipment and sat on the stool nearby. Booting up the screen she had Betty scoot down and prop up her legs.

“Just a bit of pressure,” Hermione assured her as she slid and positioned the ultrasound wand, Betty sucking in a short breath, wrinkling up her nose and closing her eyes. She didn’t need to see a barren screen reminding her of her mistakes.

A quick intake of breath startled her, but not so much as the soft sound she heard emanating from the machine to her left. A steady and quick  _ thump thump _ drew her from her trance and she stared over at the screen, Hermione’s soft gaze looking back at her. There on the screen, was a small black circle and the distinct rhythm of a heartbeat.

Betty didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t think. She just stared, shocked at the tiny blip staring back at her, defying all odds.

“Betty,” Hermione said, quite emotional. “See that tiny little blurry splotch? That there is your pup. That’s your baby.”

Betty couldn’t draw her eyes from the screen. She had only missed her potion once. A wave of relief washed over her as she realized FP and Jughead would be safe, followed immediately by guilt. This was a baby. An actual life, not a tactic to prevent a pack war. She rebuked herself silently and then let the actual implication set in. She was pregnant.

Just recently she had told Jughead she wasn’t ready for babies, but seeing the image in front of her and hearing the heartbeat, she began to wonder if that was her own fear at all. Her heart contracted and burned within her chest. Did she want a baby? Was she happy about this or was it just relief? Betty couldn’t remember ever feeling this conflicted. 

Before their first mating, wasn’t it Alice who insisted she drink the vial? And it was Alice and FP who tipped the liquid down their throats pre-heat and reminded them during. Was it just her mother’s words echoing in her ears that she wasn’t ready? Before her mother had begun to tell her she couldn’t get pregnant, Betty hadn’t really explored the idea of pups on her own . And now she was staring at a life they had created together. If no one had interfered, what would she have done?

The uncomfortable tug of the wand being removed quickly brought her back to reality and she winced a bit, noticing Hermione was staring at her blankly, cheeks tear-stained.

“Betty, you have to go,” she said hurriedly, grabbing her clothes and all but throwing them at her. “You have to go now.”

“But Jug-”

“Get dressed!” she urged her, helping her out of the gown and into her garments as if she were a small child as JB burst into the room.

“It’s happening, Hermione,” JB said trembling. “She needs to go.”

“Hermione,” Betty cried. “JB? What are you...I don’t understand. Why are you-”

“Out the back, Betty! Out the back and run. Don’t look back no matter what you hear. Just run!” JB yelled, turning around and bracing herself to hold her old pack at bay. She had wrestled with her choices all morning. Her betrayal had partially led them here; the only people who had ever shown her kindness. She should have died a long while ago the way she was treated, so to go down in battle, defending her family, seemed like better odds than she could have ever hoped for.

“Now, Betty!” JB yelled. “I’m so sorry! Now, go!”

Hermione pushed Betty out the door just as the exam room door burst open. Betty began to run towards the trees, but could not tune out the commotion at her back. Suddenly, her feet stopped in their tracks right there in the dirt as she felt a searing pain across her cheek. She reached up but found no blood. A choked sob escaped her lips as she whispered, “Jug,” before turning without thought and running back towards the facility.

  
  
  


**Minutes Earlier**

Jughead pushed back through the glass doors towards the waiting room unprepared for the sight that greeted him. Toppled chairs and torn magazines littered the trashed room. Myles McCoy lay on the ground, bleeding heavily from his side.

“Mr. McCoy!” Jughead cried as he ran over and crouched down beside him. “What happened? You need help!”

“Sierra,” he choked out. “She can feel me. She will come. Go. Go help the others.”

It was only then that he registered the enormity of the scene. Alice and his father. Leaping up he burst through the doors. He wasn’t a healer so there wasn’t much he could do for Myles at the moment anyway. 

Outside he was greeted by battle. Dozens of wolves, some in human and some in wolf form, most likely from the Stonewall pack, washed in like waves upon a shore. His father and Archie were in the center, shifted themselves, snarling and scratching at their foes while Toni remained in human form, creating complete carnage with her battle-axes. Alice was holding her own for the moment as well, her cover blown. She was deflecting wolves off FP’s back with bursts of light, no doubt sacrificing her identity to keep him alive. He stopped, poised to shift as a broad shoulder and knuckles hit him full force from the side, slicing open his cheek and sending him flying back into the ground.

“Jones!” Toni yelled, tossing him one of her coveted weapons. Springing to his feet he slammed the axe forward, bone-cracking as it pierced the skull of his assailant, the man falling to the side. Hurriedly he jumped up and glanced at his father, he and Archie were almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of wolves around them before he became aware of the most terrifying truth. “Betty,” he cried out in torment, turning towards the facility again to see it already swarmed with wolves.

Battling his way through the masses, he allowed his aggression to absorb him and he took out wolf after wolf as he pressed his way back to the infirmary. A loud and familiar cry gave him pause as he looked back to see his father, now shifted back into his human form, arch up, a dagger sticking up through his leg as Alice screeched in horror. With more wolves descending, Alice sent out a gust of wind so powerful with the last of her strength that it blew them all back a good hundred feet, giving them a moment of respite, before passing out from the sheer exertion of the battle.

“Toni,” FP rasped, grabbing the dagger and pulling it from his leg, stumbling forward. “Alice. Get her out of here.”

“But Betty and you…” Toni stammered.

“Jughead and Archie will get her. Now, go. That’s an order!”

Clearly torn from the confused look on her face, Toni tossed down her axe and threw Alice over her shoulder, taking off towards the packhouse just as reinforcements, led by Sierra, plunged through the tree and into the open space before them.

“Jug!” Betty called, her voice pained and terrified. 

“Betty!” Jughead smiled, turning toward her voice, his heart loosening at the sight of her alive and well. Her soft, relieved expression turned to complete horror as her eyes grew wide and head whipped back.

“Jughead!” she screamed, outstretching an arm towards where he stood, sending forth a strike of lightning that struck a moment too late. His confused expression turned to one of shock and pain as he glanced down, the tip of a sword, not unlike his own, protruding from his chest. He glanced back over towards his mate as she choked out a sob and grasped her own chest, no doubt feeling the effects of his wound, and he fell to his knees, his crimson blood staining the grass below. From behind him Hiram pulled his arm back and removed his sword, wiping the blade clean on a handkerchief as Jughead crumpled to the ground.

From behind Betty, Gladys, and Prudence appeared, taking her moment of pain and despair to their advantage and wrapping her arms behind her back. Too distraught to cast a spell and think clearly, she struggled against them and they tried to toss her to the ground.

“Fight them, Betty!” JB called out from behind her. “They’re trying to bind you! They want your magic!”

“I knew you weren’t with us, you no good filth,” Gladys yelled as JB fought her way forward. As she neared closer, Bret interceded, ramming into her side and cracking a few ribs. JB’s head hit a rock and she lay still in the dirt.

Betty couldn't react. She watched as Jughead lay and sputtered, blood slipping past his lips. Lips that had kissed her so tenderly just minutes before.

“I love you,” he choked out, his limp hand outstretched toward where Betty kneeled, subdued.

“Awww,” Gladys clucked. “What a touching scene.”

“Jug,” Betty cried out again, pulling wildly at her captors. “Please!” she cried. “Please! If you let me… if you let me heal him, I’ll come with you. You can bind me and I won’t struggle. I won’t fight. I’ll make you a fae blood deal!”

Hiram stepped forward and loomed over Betty. “And what does that entail?”

“I’ll- I’ll cut myself and swear that if you let me heal him, I’ll allow you to bind me. If you break the pact, the blood vow dissipates and you die. If I break it, I die.”

Hiram looked up at Gladys who despite her original desire to have the Jones’ exterminated, was staring at Jughead’s limp body with the slight semblance of regret and grief.

“Gladys?” Hiram asked, as if the fate of Jughead was hers to decide.

“Gladys?” Betty repeated, more so to herself than the other around her. “Gladys. You’re his mother. You’re Jughead’s mother. Please… if there is a shred of maternal instinct left in you let me save him.

“Do it,” Gladys said to Hiram. “That way she can’t pull any tricks.”

Hiram paused for a moment before nodding and Gladys dropped Betty to the ground. Holding out her dagger, Betty took it frantically and sliced open her palm, her tears falling to mingle with the blood, choking out, “Im owvey na höödorè min acordę.”

A soft light shone from her palm and she held it up to Hiram’s own, placing her hand against his. “I vow, upon my life, to allow myself to be bound in exchange for the life of my mate.”

“Betty,” Jughead gasped weakly. “No…”

“I accept your offer,” Hiram replied as Betty hastily pulled her palm away and rushed to Jughead’s side, the light in her palm fading back within her skin.

“Jug,” Betty gasped, cradling his face between her hands. “Stay with me, alright? I need you to be okay.”

From behind her, she heard Bret mumbling about JB and why they’d let Jughead live and that he would come for her.

“Let him come,” Gladys laughed. “Their pack is outnumbered.”

“Jug, I need you to bite me, love,” Betty cried. “I need you to drink from me and live. It’s not just for me now, Juggie. We’re..we’re having a baby…”

He didn’t hear her declarations as his blood loss had finally left him unconscious.

“No!” Betty yelled at him shaking him forcefully. “You wake up and stay with me!”

His eyes fluttered open for a moment at her assault and Betty pressed her neck towards his lips. Out of sheer instinct, his teeth pierced her skin and he began to drink. Betty sagged to the ground in relief as he drank greedily, needing a great deal of blood to heal a wound this serious. She pulled back his shirt and watched his skin begin to repair itself and choked out a sob of relief, pressing her lips to the side of his head in a kiss. Hiram and Gladys must have seen it too because she was quickly pulled back abruptly from his embrace, dragged to where Prudence stood waiting.

“He’s healing, fairy,” Gladys spat. “Now, time to uphold your part of the bargain.” 

Gladys tore at the neck of Betty’s shirt and pulled her head back roughly by her ponytail. Just above her collarbone and near her shoulder, Brett pressed the knife in deep as Betty gritted her teeth, hissing back the pain as the rune was carved into her skin. When his artwork was complete, Prudence uplifted her palms and spoke.

“Winds of fate, earth and fire, with your aid we do conspire. Light and dark, a deal, be wary. Forge a bond and bind this faery.”

Betty felt a tight thread wind through her body as if being stung by a needle before rapidly vanishing. It had been done. Ahead of her, Jughead began to stir. She was pulled roughly to her feet as his head lifted off the ground, weak herself from the draining of her blood.

“Betty,” he called out, still too weak to arise.

Gladys whistled and the Stonewall wolves began to retreat, heading back into the woods and their own territory. Betty surveyed the damage, unsure of which of her friends or family may have become casualties of battle. 

Jughead stumbled to his feet before falling back to the ground again, his body still reeling from its violent end and rebirth.

_ “I’ll come for you, my love,” _ he shared with her in a solemn vow.  _ “I will always come for you.” _

Betty was pulled through the trees and her mate left her sight. She was no longer a serpent, but a fairy puppet strung up for none other than Stonewall and Hiram Lodge, hiding a beautiful secret deep within her gut.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm sorry! I have so many messages about my cliffhangers so I'm just gonna apologize here this time...
> 
> Thank you Jandy for the many edits, advice, and suggestions!  
> Find me on Tumblr for updates- @likemereckless


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little of this and a little of that. I’m awful at summaries. You’re already hooked so do I really have to entice you? 😂
> 
> Okay! Okay! Many things happen in 9 & 10! Wolves, battles, magic, creatures, human spines... that about sums it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this next chapter was a whopper- 20k, so I upped the chapter count and split it into two so you can take a break in between! I’m posting one today and one tomorrow just so no one misses that there are two chapters!
> 
> Sending thanks to Jandy for the edits!  
> Follow me for updates on Tumblr @likemereckless

His ears buzzed with a high-pitched whir. All the screams and yelling blurred together into one constant tonality. Jughead pressed up with trembling arms, gripping at his chest where his once-gaping wound, now sealed, still burned and his abdominal muscles continued to intertwine again. His legs and core were weak and he stumbled to the ground again, yelling out in desperation as every moment rendered Betty further away. 

The battle around him was abating and he was afraid that if he didn’t get his footing back soon he may be discovered by a retreating Stonewall wolf, though most were shifted and in a blood frenzy, unaware of their surroundings and hyped on a high.

A pair of arms gripped him from behind, hooking under his own and pulled him, stumbling, to his feet.

“Jug, we gotta go!” Archie yelled, standing him upright and supporting his weight as he dragged him from the field.

“Betty,” Jughead gasped out weekly. “Arch, they have her.”

“Yeah, and they’ll have you too if we don’t get out of this clearing and back to the packhouse.”

Jughead dug his heels and tried to stop Archie’s forward motion, but he was too weak. “We have to get her back!”

“We’re outnumbered here, Jug! It was an ambush and even with reinforcements, we didn’t have enough wolves on call to fight! Storming Stonewall is a death sentence. We have to go home and regroup and strategize.”

Jughead growled at Archie, shoving at his side roughly as he tried to stand on his own.

“Jughead, I love Betty, too. And if you  _ ever _ want to see her again, you  _ know _ we have to do this the smart way.”

With a heart-wrenching cry, Jughead sagged against his best friend and now councilman, conceding to his words. His heart was torn apart and he felt such despondency mixed with incredible rage. He could care less what the other wolves would think as tears flowed freely and unabashedly down his face.

“We’re going to get her back, Jughead. I swear to you, even if it kills us both, we’re going to get her back.”

The scene at the packhouse was macabre as if it were out of a World War II film. Healers scrambled around checking the wounded who were piling up on gurneys that had been carried in by those with minor injuries from the field. The Serpents hadn’t seen devastation like this since the time of FP the first.

“I need a healer!” Archie yelled as he helped Jughead through the door, already regaining his strength.

“No!” Jughead yelled as four healers stopped what they were doing to run to his side. “I’m not injured. Not anymore”

Archie looked at him, baffled after dragging him back from the fray before understanding swept through him.

“Jughead!” they heard in a cry over the noise. Alice came barreling towards him and slammed into his chest, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Oh thank God,” she cried, pulling back and checking his face and other visible areas for damage. “Your father. He’s wounded, but alive. He will recover.”

Alice smiled, clearly relieved, and sniffed as she looked at his face. “Where’s Betty?”

Jughead’s nostrils flared and his lips pressed into a tight line, quivering. It was only then Alice took in Archie’s arm supporting him and his tear-streaked face.

“No,” Alice’s voice warbled as she shook her head back and forth. “Jughead, no, please tell me…”

“Hiram and Gladys took her,” Jughead said, reaching forward and grabbing her hand, pressing to his chest over his heart. “But she is alive. I can feel her. She’s beating here with me. And she’s scared, and pissed off…” 

They chuckled for a moment at that through their tears because it was so incredibly Betty.

“...But she’s alive and a fighter and we are going to get her back. I’ll explain it all once we can regroup the council.”

“How do you know?” Alice cried hopefully.

A horrifically painful scream drew the attention of everyone in the room as the healer who had been compressing Myles’ chest stopped. Sierra’s eyes were blown open wide and she sank to the ground, slack jawed, gripping her chest beside her mate, her soulmate, as his chest twitched for the last time.

Her whole body trembled in huge, violent shakes as she writhed against the floor and clawed at Myles’ body. The room had grown silent, as even the healer’s working and the injured made not a sound. Hobbling over with a crutch and a bloody bandage wrapped around his thigh, FP pulled Sierra up from the floor in a show of strength and held her tightly against him. There were no words to speak. What could he say to a woman whose soul was just ripped in half?

“That’s how I know,” Jughead choked out to Alice. “Because if Betty was gone, I’d feel it. I’d feel her life ripped from my chest, air from my lungs, heart from my heart, and I’d never be the same again. I’d be destroyed. Someone needs to call Josie.”

As if on cue, most likely notified by the pack emergency system, Josie arrived, embracing her mother in a flurry of tears and pulling her from the hall as she lunged back for Myles in desperation.

FP braced himself on his knees, wincing as he put pressure on his injury. As he craned his neck upward he caught sight of Jughead from across the room and tossed his crutch, hobbling his way over and grabbing him tightly. He seemed to realize almost instantly Betty’s absence, but Jughead's composure conveyed all he needed to know and he bit his lip, cursing up at the ceiling. He knew at once Stonewall had taken her.

“My office in ten minutes,” he howled. “I’ll gather what’s left of the council.”

…..

The beeps of machines and shouts of pain were muffled as FP closed his office door, refusing Fred’s help and hobbling over to his favorite armchair. The Alpha blood flowing through his veins allowed him to heal faster than the average wolf, but his wound was still raw and deep. He groaned as he sank himself down into the plush fabric.

“Was it Gladys?” FP asked flippantly at no one in particular, but Jughead knew the question was directed towards him.

Jughead nodded, just barely, and swallowed harshly, trying to abate the tears that had once again begun to cloud his vision. “Betty- she saved me. I was headed back towards the infirmary to find her and I heard her voice. I turned around, so relieved, and Hiram… he snuck up on me from the side. Before Betty could warn me his weapon was through my chest and I was on the ground.”

His face scrunched up in agony, less out of remembrance from the pain or wound, but more for what he knew he needed to share next. How was one supposed to feel when the other half of their heart sacrificed themself for you?

“JB was there as they apprehended Betty. She fought  _ so _ hard. She warned her that they were trying to bind her magic. Betty… she…” His voice was too thick with emotion to continue and he paused for a moment, Alice grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze which only seized his heart more. Alice should hate him. Betty was gone  _ because  _ of him. 

“Betty told them she would allow them to bind her if she could save me.” FP’s features softened as he understood the magnitude of his son’s words. “I was so weak after… it was a deadly wound and I tried to get up and follow her, but…”

“She sacrificed herself,” FP said unsurprised. “And now Hiram Lodge controls her magic.”

Fred Andrews, Hermione, Archie, Toni, and Penelope wept openly as Jughead shared this information. Many of the other council members shed tears as well. Sweet Pea’s lips were in a grim line and his knuckles were clenched and white in fury.

Floyd Clayton leaned back against a bookcase and swiped a hand over his face as Chuck, who was not on the council, but was glued to his father’s side tending to his wounds, watched his father battle with his anger.

“I don’t know, FP,” Floyd swore. “Hiram- I didn’t know his plan. He came to me about getting Chuck on the council young and how it was important for him to assert himself now in pack politics and I-”

FP held up a hand and halted Floyd’s words. Even Chuck hung his head in guilt and the whole room could sense it was genuine. “Now isn’t the time, Floyd. I believe you and understand fighting for your son, but right now I’m concerned with fighting for my daughter-in-law. Your Lumina.”

“As are we, Alpha,” Chuck said earnestly. “We are devoted to her safe return.”

“FP,” Fred said softly, glancing between him and Alice. “Everyone saw what went down on the battlefield and now we’re talking about binding and magic. I think the pack deserves some clarity… an explanation in what  _ exactly _ is happening here.”

Jughead glanced to his left at Alice and she lifted one side of her lip in a mangled sort of half-smile that he took as agreement. He took a deep breath and stood taller, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Betty is half-fae,” Jughead shared, watching the shocked faces of the council and their long-time friends. Many of them pulled their gaze from Jughead toward Alice. The enormity of the situation hit them as they realized now exactly what Alice had done on the battlefield today to protect FP and the rest of the pack. She had given up her secret and made herself vulnerable, as had Betty, for the people she loved. Their adoration was followed with questions and FP shared their story, from finding her in the forest, to his father’s dastardly plan. 

There was an even more somber mood surrounding the room when he finished and Sweet Pea drew them back to the here and now.

“How did Hiram even know? He isn’t as close to you as many of us other wolves and we didn’t even have an inkling or hint that there was any magical element surrounding the pack.”

“Stonewall found out through the use of a spy, or so we assumed, but have not confirmed,” Jughead added. “Hiram has been helping them and the scene at last night’s pack meeting was a set-up to draw us into an ambush and isolate Betty. He knew there were no pups bred during her heat. I’m pretty sure they would have taken Alice as well had she not been strong enough to hold them back and wasn’t surrounded by dozens of other wolves. 

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but then hesitated, her emotions torn and bubbling over. She caught Alice’s eye across the room only by sheer happenstance, and Alice’s own blue orbs widened and her jaw tightened. As Hermione opened her lips again, Alice discreetly shook her head and Hermione slunk her shoulders down, retreating into the background once again.

Fred rolled his shoulders in frustrated exhaustion. “So, in binding her, Hiram now can dictate how Betty can use her magic?”

“Yes,” Alice grimaced. “And Betty’s magic is strong. She is stronger than most half-fae that I’ve heard of. She is still no match for me, though, and if the need should arise, I could subdue her, but not before she took out a ton of our pack who would be collateral in the process.”

A heavy silence fell throughout the room as they felt the magnitude of her words. There was no way to storm Stonewall without massive casualties.

“So what do we do now?” Penelope said tiredly. “This has gone on long enough. It’s time to end this once and for all. It’s time to bring Jason, Polly, and Betty home and turn that foul, two-timing Lodge into garden fertilizer for my herbs.”

Fred Andrews shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glancing at his Alpha and long-time friend. “We do what we have to do,” Fred said somberly. “We swore to protect our Lumina, over threat of death, and that’s what we will do.”

“Dad, no,” Archie interjected, crossing the room and gripping his shoulder. “What if there was another way? A way we could do this without risking so many lives.”

“What are you suggesting, Andrews?” Sweet Pea asked, his interest peaked.

Archie looked lost in thought for a moment as if organizing his buzzing brain. “I just- if he found a way to bind Betty, there  _ has  _ to be a way to unbind her, right, Alice?”

All of the eyes in the room fell on her as Alice let go of Jughead and sighed, suddenly feeling alone and barren. Somehow when she was connected to him, she felt her daughter and a sense of calm. She grabbed his forearm again before speaking. “There should be,” she agreed softly. “But this isn’t something common and I’ve never witnessed a binding or an unbinding in my time with my family. I wouldn’t even know what to do.”

Hermione finally emerged from the shadows in the corner, an excited look lighting up her face. “Hiram left for New York a few weeks ago. He said it was on business, but then in passing, he mentioned old friends, the St. Claires, who I know are connected to the National Supernatural Archives. He  _ must  _ have gotten the spell there! If we could…”

“If we could what?” Tom Keller spat out angrily. “You need permissive access to those archives, Hermione. Access a friend of  _ your  _ husband would never allow. And how do we know you aren’t involved and leading us on a wild goose chase while Gladys and Tall Boy do God knows what to Betty?”

Hermione’s eyes filled with rage. “I would  _ never _ betray this pack. I love Betty. I loved her  _ before _ she was a Lumina. I had no idea what Hiram was planning. Veronica and I would have put an end to it.”

Hermione’s eyes sought Alice’s begging her to believe, and Alice’s own softened. “Hermione had no part in this. This was crafted by one man’s greed. But Tom is right. We will never be granted access.”

Archie clapped his hands suddenly and his face lit up like a bottle-rocket in explosive excitement. “Alice… the other night after the pack meeting when we were figuring out a plan for...things, you mentioned going home. What if we did just that? Wouldn’t your family possibly know how to unbind a fae?”

All eyes fell to Alice in shock and she looked dazed by the suggestion. Alice hadn’t been home since she was tossed out and wasn’t even sure if her family had survived the war. Going back was something she had never planned to do. She glanced over and up at Jughead. His eyes shone with such hope; hope that they could save his soulmate and Alice knew she had to cast aside her fears.

“It’s a possibility,” Alice conceded. “I don’t know if they will help, but it may be our best chance.”

“Then it’s settled,” Jughead said quickly and sharply, giving Alice’s hand a squeeze of thanks. “We leave at daybreak. Archie, Toni, and Sweets, you come with us. The rest of you can strategize with my father about how to approach and breach Stonewall’s territory.

With no other options, they all silently agreed, knowing the danger that awaited them was looming overhead. Jughead excused himself and left the office, advising his team to meet him in his room in an hour. As the rest of them shuffled out of the room, Alice stopped Hermione with a tight grip.

“Is it true?” Alice asked her, voice warbling and eyes laced with moisture. “Did I read your expression correctly earlier?”

Hermione nodded softly. “Yes,” she said tearfully. “I was shocked. I assumed she was on blockers like Veronica. I wouldn’t blame her. I had spoken with my daughter and was prepared to help her today and say that the pregnancy wasn’t viable to avoid pack scandal. But then the ultrasound…”

Alice gasped out a sharp cry. “You… you saw it? You saw my grandbaby?”

“Strong heartbeat and all,” Hermione smiled. “Betty was in disbelief and before we could address it…I knew something was awry with Hiram, but I had no idea it was this. I told Betty to leave when I heard a commotion and then JB came in and ushered her out a back door.”

Alice sniffled and her look of happiness faded into her usual blanket of composure. “Don’t tell him,” Alice said sternly. “Jughead can’t know. He needs a clear head and he’s already compromised. This will kill him and we need him to remain focused to get her back. If he weren’t so distraught, he would feel it already. He would know. He may still sense it anyway as time goes forward.”

Hermione was surprised but understanding and she conceded to Alice’s plan and Alice took her leave. She needed to gather herbs and weapons they may need for their journey. Squaring her shoulders she left the packhouse, ready to venture home to save the people she loved.

**Stonewall Pack House**

Somewhere about ten minutes into her journey, Betty stopped fighting. She knew her emotions had clouded her judgment and as they traveled through the forest she came to her senses. Betty knew she was weak from healing her mate and even if she did escape, Hiram had bound her anyway. She was outnumbered and couldn't use her magic. She decided that she would have to beat them with wit and bid her time, hoping the Serpents wouldn’t come for her and risk their lives, though she knew in her heart they would.  _ He  _ would. Betty could feel his despair like a deep void in her chest and the distance between them only increased the strain.

The gargoyles and gothic statues of Stonewall loomed overhead as they entered the massive doors to their packhouse. Betty expected to be tossed into the dungeons but was instead, marched upwards into an expansive bedroom and seated on a comfortable bed. Eventually, she was addressed, face-to-face, by her captors.

“Where are we?” Betty asked softly as they released her arms from their grip. She rubbed at her sore forearms and shoulders, easing the ache and noting the dark purple bruises that were already bubbling their way to the surface of her skin. Hiram noted the bruising as well and glared at Bret and Malachi.

“In the future, she is to be unharmed,” he said matter-of-factly before turning towards Betty. “We are in your new quarters, Betty. This will be where you spend most of your time, for now, until you’ve proven your loyalties and then may have more free reign of the facility.”

Betty shook her head, puzzled. “I don’t understand. I thought I was a prisoner…”

“Well, you are,” Gladys chuckled. “For all intents and purposes. You can’t leave, so that does define a prisoner, I suppose. But since your magic is bound to us here, and you’ll be doing our bidding, there’s no reason for you to be in a cold, stone cell. You’re simply too valuable.”

Betty knew she would only have a few moments to question them. They were being kind for the moment, but she wasn’t their family, she was simply a pet. A very useful pet. They would feed her and clothe her but she didn’t expect more than that.

“And when I’m not up here playing Rapunzel in my tower, what exactly will I be doing for you?” She glanced between them, but her eyes stayed on Hiram in the end. He was, after all, the one she was bound with.

Gladys swayed forward, a slow half-grin spreading across her lips and she reached out her pointer finger and drew it down Betty’s cheek. “Oh, doll. You don’t even want to know what we’re going to have you do.”

Betty jerked her face back and shuddered, turning her face at her ominous, menacing tone. His face was close enough that Betty could feel her breath on her cheek as Gladys grabbed her jaw roughly and yanked her eyes back to her own.

“You want a preview, doll? Let me illuminate you to the predicament you’re in. First, you’re going to tell us everything you know about magic and the Serpents. Then, when those incompetent morons come knocking down our door, you’re going to slaughter them… and I don’t mean with one quick blow.”

Gladys took a step forward, edging Betty backward so she fell back against the mattress as Gladys loomed over her, still stroking the apple of her cheek. “I’ll have you gut FP Jones like a fish, slowly and meticulously with your fairy magic. I want my fucking name etched into his chest while he’s still breathing.”

Her hand slipped from Betty’s cheek and moved down to the pale skin of her throat where she squeezed just so. “Fred Andrews, Tom Keller, and Penelope Blossom… I’m going to watch you summon up a goddamn ocean and drown them all slowly, letting the waters ebb and retreat for hours as they suffocate over and over again until they don’t resurface.”

Gladys’ teeth were now clenched and as she talked she spat on Betty’s face, her eyes wild and Betty’s full of fear.

“And your mother… Oh, you’re fucking mother!” Gladys spat. “She’s the reason my life was over! You’re going to drain that bitch of all the fae magic in her and then string her up in vines and let her starve. I’m going to watch the woman rot on my goddamn wall like a mantle decoration and I’m going to smile at it every fucking second until she breathes her last breath.”

Gladys jerked her hand back and Betty gasped for breath, the heavy sobs wracking her chest making it harder to access the oxygen she needed. Rising from her bent position, Gladys headed towards the door, tossing a look of pure hatred over her shoulder.

“You’re pretty. I see why my son is so infatuated with you. The Jones men do love their blondes. I can’t have you kill him per Hiram’s deal, but I never said he wouldn’t suffer. When he walks through this door, he’s going to feel the worst pain of all. Worse than death. After your mate watches his entire pack slaughtered, he's going to be forced to watch Malachi or Bret over there take you over and over again. Ruin that little mating bond you have. And then he'll be thrown into a cell with your pain-in-the-ass sister for the rest of his days. Then you, my doll, will become our magical faery-wolf breeding machine.

Gladys left, the leering wolves behind her, leaving only Hiram in the room as Betty dissolved into a shaking fit of terror.

“You really should have let Jones die, Betty,” Hiram grinned, sauntering to the door as well. “It would have been a mercy.”

Hiram shut the door behind himself and Betty pulled herself from the bed rapidly, running into the small bathroom attached and emptying the contents of her stomach. After she flopped down, one arm resting against the porcelain and her head resting against her arm. She brought her other hand up to rub at her stomach, still flat with no visible bump. She stroked her hand over the spot where her pup grew and bit into the skin of her arm to suppress a sob. She would find a way out of this. She would find a loophole in the plan. She had to not just for her own sake, but for her mate and their baby.

**Serpent Pack House**

The time to depart was upon them. Jughead sat on their bed, his hiking pack stuffed full of weapons, clothes, and items they’d need for their journey. The air seemed to hang still in this wooden capsule; her shoes still dropped haphazardly by the door, one hilted sadly to its right, the worn sole visible. _ “I should buy her new sneakers,” _ he thinks as he studies the tattered rubber and threadbare canvas. His eyes drift as he perused their sitting area, noting the yellow cardigan draped over the chair. The one she wore during the pack meeting that ended the world. He chided himself for a moment for his dramatics. The meeting didn’t end the world, but it did tilt his on its axis.

Before he could question his actions, Jughead stood from the bed, the cardigan in his hands. Lifting the soft cotton-blend to his nose he inhaled the lingering scent of the citrus-eucalyptus shower gel she’s been so fond of mixed with the heavy, heady smell of the alluring perfume she’d taken to wearing as of lately. The quiet of the room alerted him to the slow, erratic thumping of his belabored heart, working overtime to keep him on his feet. 

Lowering the fabric from his nose he noted a slight wrinkle in the side and frowned. Betty hates wrinkles. His body took him, not by his own volition, to the depths of their closet where he procured a hanger and settled the wrinkled garment just so. For a moment he just stood there and took in the soft hues of her pastels mixed in stark contrast with the heavier stains of his dark fabrics and a shadow washed over him. With an unforeseen sense of rage, Jughead’s fists launched themselves at the fabrics, ripping them from the place where they were so precariously hung and item after item tore them to the ground, the still quiet of the room now permeated with his distressing howls. His hands swept all the boxes and lined up shoes from the shelves up above, the items clattering to the floor in a heap.

Jughead’s inner wolf itched for him to shift and run; run as far away and as fast as he possibly could until this feeling was all but a memory. But his soulmark tethered him to their den. This place where her scent lingered and memories were abundant.

Rubbing a tired hand over his face, Jughead took in the butchery before him. He couldn’t touch Stonewall so he had massacred their closet in anger instead. Betty would surely insist on dry cleaning if she came home.  _ When _ , he reminded himself staunchly.

Amidst the strewn items, a flash of green caught his eye. Jughead crouched down and lifted the small book into his still, half-clenched hands and was surprised to find his name scrawled on the cover in Betty’s delicate printing. Opening to the first page, he read the beautifully penned words:

_ Happy First Anniversary, my love. When I was a child I could never dream of a future where my every breath was full of so much joy, but here we are. I know you feel the depth of my love for you, but sometimes I can’t voice the inner monologues that I have with myself when you’re not tuned in. The night of our mating I decided I’d keep this journal, and add an entry each day, one dedicated to us. They won’t always be beautiful words, but they will always be true. And if there ever comes a time, where I can no longer speak my love to you, may this journal bring you comfort in knowing that you have been my greatest journey. _

Jughead’s eyes were affixed to the paper. It was as if he could hear her voice, singing the words to him like a hymn of praise, the notes rising from this chronicle and surrounding him with angelic intonations. Part of him wanted to put the book back, but he needed her words, her strength right now and he knew Betty would never mind. Not after the events that had transpired over the past twenty-four hours. He let his fingers skim the pages and chose a random one to stop upon.

_ I watched you today from across the room, seated in one of those brown, cushiony chairs in the pack den you’re so fond of. I pretended to scrutinize the book in my lap, but instead, I was studying you. I noted how your jaw gets tight when you disagree with things and your hands take up residence on your hips when you think. When you’re right, your smirk is a tad haughty but boyish. I want to kiss that smirk and then I’d be the smug one. I watch as I see you enter your stride, becoming more confident and ascendant among the pack, but always compassionate.  _

_ I love this. I love all these parts of you. I love your left, your right, your up and your down. I love how you’re strong in public but unsure and quiet when we’re alone. I love it when you’re dominant and I love it when you’re tender. But most of all I love that despite your Alpha inheritance, you are unapologetically you. _

The hinges on the bedroom door groaned as his comrades pushed their way through. With a quick flick of his wrist, Jughead closed the journal and dropped it onto the dresser to his right, sniffing and pressing a finger to the corner of each eye.

“Hey, Jug, it’s okay man,” Sweet Pea said clapping him on the back slightly awkwardly. “Just because you’re the future Alpha doesn’t mean you can’t get emotional here. You’re allowed to feel sorrow.”

Jughead kept his eyes downcast and shrugged Sweet Pea’s arm from his shoulder. “What I feel is rage. I want to storm the ground of Stonewall and tear off their limbs… every one of them.”

Sweet Pea smiled, much more familiar and comfortable with battle than love. “That’s my Alpha. And we will. Think of this as the most epic love story of all time, Jones. Like one of those gigantic novels you so love to read. You’re crossing realms and braving danger to find a way to release your one true love, who sacrificed herself, from the clutches of evil.”

Jughead scowled at him angrily. “How is that supposed to help me feel better, Pea? You make it sound like an impossible mission.”

Sweet Pea shrugged and smiled gently at his friend. “It  _ is  _ an impossible mission, Jones. That’s why it’s going to work. Love can’t fail, not when the tale is this epic. Haven’t you learned anything from those gargantuan texts of yours?”

Jughead stared at him incredulously for a moment before huffing out a small laugh. Sweet Pea was right. They would succeed. They had to.

“I don’t mean to interrupt this  _ moment _ you're having,” Alice said as she entered the room, dropping an enormous backpack, twice the size of everyone else's, to the ground. “But we need to talk before we depart. You need to know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Archie looked excited as he took a seat in one of the armchairs, Toni grabbing the seat to his left while Alice and Sweet Pea took the sofa. Jughead opted to stand. He was too antsy to sit still anyway.

“I can’t believe we’re going into the fae realm,” Archie said, a bit giddily, his slight grin betraying his excitement despite the circumstances. “I mean, how often does a human get to say that.”

“Hardly ever,” Alice replied, sternly. “And that’s because they don’t often make it out alive.”

Eyes shifted nervously and more cautiously at Alice’s tone. She was wary and she knew the lands. If Alice was nervous to return home, then the promise of a quick and easy mission didn’t seem so plausible.

“What exactly are we up against?” Jughead asked her, crossing his arms over his chest. “What should we be prepared for?”

Taking a deep breath, Alice simpered. “If I told you everything that could possibly pop up we wouldn’t leave for days. So rather than delay our departure and since time is, as they say, of the essence, I’ll give you the short version. The fae are not the sparkling, warm orbs you see floating in films and they are not all the same. There are a number of fae creatures, all of varying kinds.”

“What do you mean by varying kinds?” Sweet Pea asked, always serious about procuring mission intel.

“Through history, there are accounts of all types of fae; leprechauns, pucas, dullahan, the mimi... All quite two-sided and known for trickery. Fae are helpful when they wish and wicked just the same. The lore is different around the globe based on portal entries and which type of fae mostly reside near them.”

“Portal entries?” Toni asked, needing clarification.

Alice sighed and pursed her lips, remembering she was the only one with background knowledge here and slowed her explanation down. “The entries to magical realms can be found at ring forts. Human folklore was right about that. They just don’t have the power to open them. Most races of fae used to frequent the human world at certain times of year, such as the Mimi at harvest times. Some fae chose to remain in the human world, though that number is quite small. The rotation of the Earth controls the portal openings. So if I wanted to leave my kingdom in the fae realm and arrive here, I would use the ring fort portal in spring.”

“But it’s fall,” Archie said as if this was something they were unaware of.

“Exactly,” Alice nodded. “When we enter the realms from this point of entry, at this position of planetary rotation, we will be entering on the opposite side from my kind. The trek across lands will be dangerous and arduous and a number of tricky fae races and other magical creatures will try and interrupt our path.”

“Isn’t it just one giant… land? Place?” Sweet Pea asked, seeking clarification.

“Just like any other country or place, there are regions of Tír na nÓg. Some are separated by a mountain, but most are a series of islands in the Moon Sea. My people are the Tuatha Dé Danann and have reign over all the lands and we will step foot onto their soil at least when we enter.”

“Wait a minute, I remember that name from a mythology course I took,” Jughead said suddenly, attempting to mask his shock. “The Celts honored the Tuatha Dé Danann as Gods in pre-Christian times. Are you…?”

“Am I a goddess?” Alice laughed. “I like to think so. But no, most Gods were simply fae. Our magical abilities left false impressions on the humans we helped.”

Toni blanched and screwed up her face in annoyance. “So you’re telling me we’re about to run the gauntlet of crazy, human-starved supernatural creatures in an unfamiliar land while in a time crunch?”

Tipping her head to the side and scrunching up her lip, Alice shrugged. “That about sums it up, yes.”

“Super,” Jughead groaned. “So we will need to be careful to travel undetected.”

Archie glanced between them, a question perched at the tip of his tongue. 

“What is it, Archibald?” Alice asked, annoyed.

“I mean, I don’t mind a long hike or anything, but can’t you just like us magic and make us fly? Like can’t you fly? Wait… do you have wings?”

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes. “No, I do not have wings. I’m not a pixie. Fae don’t need wings to fly, we just can. And yes, in  _ this  _ realm I could make you fly where my magic is less intense, but if I grace you with it once we cross the border, the intensity would be overwhelming and would exhaust you if used for a prolonged period of time. I would only use that in a particularly harrowing situation and for a very short duration.”

Toni clapped her hands together and stood. “This whole flying business is all well and good, but every second we stay here is another second Betty is stuck with those mangy mutts. So if there’s nothing else we need to know…”

Holding up a hand in warning, Alice breathed deeply before she spoke again. “There is something else that needs to be done before we depart. The fae realm is one of layered time and space. You could enter now and exit six-hundred years from now or forty-five million years ago. I can control my entry, but not yours. Not unless you bind yourselves...to me.”

The wolves stared at her incredulously. “But we don’t have magic to bind. Can you bind a human to a fae?” Toni asked, curiously.

“You can,” Alice stated. “It just assures that I am connected to you at all times and I can sense where you are should you choose to try and run away. It’s more for captive purposes in this manner. I will of course remove the binding when we find out how.”

“And if there isn’t a way?” Sweet Pea asked, wary of being bound to a fae.

When no one spoke, Jughead growled and pushed forward, rolling up his shirt sleeve and exposing his forearm which was free of tattoos. “I don’t care if you know where I am for the rest of my life, Alice. If there’s a chance we can learn how to unbind Betty and bring her home safely than carve whatever you want into me. Make me your damned carving station for all I care, but let’s just get on with this.”

Alice stood and smiled at her daughter’s mate, pressing a motherly peck to the crown of his head before walking over and opening the bedroom door, revealing a nervous, but always smiling Hilda and a vexed looking Zelda.

“Oh, finally,” Zelda spat. “Is your tea party over now? Can the witches come in? Honestly, you need our help and keep us waiting…”

“I didn’t realize there was tea,” Hilda said a bit jilted. “I could use a nice cup of chamomile...calm my nerves and all. A nervous stomach is my blight in life you know. Always rumbling like an engine or a geographical hotspot. No? No one else watches Discovery?”

“Hilda, if you could please…” Alice sighed, tugging her into the room further.

“Right. Rambling again, am I? You know, I saw on Discovery…”

“The spell, Hilda.” Zelda groaned. “They need the spell to go save Betty. It’s not the time to be recounting useless television programs.”

Hilda cocked her head to the side and dropped her jaw. “Oh, no. It’s far from useless. We are on the verge of a supervolcano erupting in…” she stopped, seeing the humorless, tired faces of those around her. “Right, yes. Not relevant now.” She dropped her voice, seemingly speaking to herself. “Though it could blow at any moment, so actually…”

Alice stomped back over and grabbed Jughead’s forearm.

“Do you need my dagger?” he asked in earnest, wanting to get a move on.

Alice simply quirked one brow. “Please. I’m a fae. We’re not as crude as to carve a rune into humans.”

Placing her palm over the underside of his forearm, Alice closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Gwedhi- thee na nin,” she spoke as her eyes began to flicker and glow a brilliant gold beneath the lids. As she opened them, glaring like the sun, a searing, burning pain emblazoned its way under Jughead’s skin, burning a circular rune deep into his skin.

“A witch must do the next part,” Alice explained. “The rune must be activated and only a witch can do that. This was put in to ensure the fae didn’t enslave other races.”

Zelda reached out and placed her pointer finger in the center of the rune and spoke. “Winds of fate, earth, and fire, with your aid we do conspire. With your wisdom, magical acumen, bear the weight to bind this human.”

Like his arm was tugged, Jughead felt a pull towards Alice immediately. If she shifted, he wanted to shift as well. It was an awkward and uncomfortable feeling which she assured him would learn as he adapted. He didn’t have to move where she did, he just felt like that for the moment and his mind would learn to adjust and repress the sensation unless Alice called for him.

The rest followed suit, marked with the rune and bound, all adjusting to the sensation of being one collective group. When Archie was finished, they began to collect their belongings, Sweet Pea insisting on carrying Alice’s giant bag which she had stuffed with potions, poultices, herbs, and other things they may need along the way.

FP had been lingering in the hall and when he heard the binding was completed, he ambled his way into the room, already leaning less heavily against his crutch. He hugged Toni, Archie, Sweet Pea, and then his son, squeezing him a bit tighter than normal.

“I won’t try and talk you out of this crazy plan, boy,” FP said sadly. “If it were Allie, I know I’d move heaven and hell to save her. Heck, if I wasn’t still healing and I wouldn’t slow you down, I’d be coming to save Betty.” Turning from his son after a quick squeeze to his bicep, FP turned to Alice and pulled her into a tight embrace. He saw no point in hiding their relationship any longer. Enough secrets had been exposed that afternoon and this was the least of them. 

“Come back to me?” he asked solemnly, burying his nose in her blonde tresses.

“If I haven’t left you by now I’m not going to, FP,” Alice cooed softly. “And I’ll do all I can to keep them safe and bring them home.”

FP leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, chaste by all account, but laced with thick emotion the whole room could feel resounding between them. He pulled back and gave them each one more tight smile before sauntering from the room, his shoulders much tighter than usual.

Before they left Jughead snuck his way back over to the dresser, tucking Betty’s declarations of love into his backpack. With the distance between them, he needed to feel more connected to her now than ever.

“Good luck,” Zelda called to them as they ambled out the door under the hefty weight of their bags. “Be safe and find a way to bring our Betty home.”

When they were clear from sight, Zelda let out a stifled sob and clutched at her abdomen, overcome with emotion due to the depth of Alice’s despair.

“It’s alright, Zelda. Alice is resourceful and stubborn. She will find her family,” Hilda reassured her warmly.

“Oh, I know she will, Hilda,” Zelda replied. “The question is, will they welcome her return?”

**Stonewall Dungeons**

Her joints ached and there was a deep pounding behind her eyes, so sharp she was sure she was undergoing an internal lobotomy, being skewered from the inside out. It was cold and damp in the dark pestilent cell where she sat, arms stretched above her head and shackled to the dank, chilled stone. Jellybean opened her eyes, grateful at once for the dim light in this subterranean hell, and groaned at the jabbing pain that accompanied each eye movement. 

“Oh good. I’m not dead,” she said gruffly aloud to herself.

“I thought you were for a good hour there until you started mumbling about fried Oreos and nachos,” a sweet voice called back, startling JB in her dark prison. 

She pushed back further against the stone and looked around for her cellmate, seeing nothing but thick darkness until a shadowed figure merged tentatively from the corner.

“Polly?” JB said softly. “Is that you?”

“I was kind of hoping you were dead,” Polly said, stepping further into the sliver of light that the cell offered. “After all, you were sent to capture my family and kill my sister’s mate.”

“No!” JB coughed, attempting to lunge forward but pulled back by the shackles chained to the wall. “I tried to stop them. I tried to get Betty out safely. That’s why I’m here. I betrayed them.”

For the first time in a while, Polly looked hopeful. Her shoulders sagged and her mouth twitched up in excitement. “So she’s safe? Betty is alright? And my mother?”

Jellybean grimaced and examined the floor and the half-inch of murky water there, wetting her sneakers and adding to the damp feeling in her bones 

“What?” Polly said, her voice dropping. “What is it?”

JB began to weep softly, her body dropping limply from the chains that held her upright. “I tried, Polly. I really did. They took me in and they were so… _ good _ , you know? They were just kind. I really thought I got Betty to safety but I should have known she’d go back for Jughead.”

“Went back where?” Polly asked worriedly. “You’re not making any sense, Jellybean.”

“Went back into the fight! Hiram stabbed Jughead and Betty allowed Hiram to bind himself to her in exchange for his life. He took her and now he controls her magic and I couldn’t stop it!”

“Jellybean!” Polly yelled out. “I don’t understand! Is Jughead alive? And what magic? None of this makes any sense!”

Jellybean’s head snapped up suddenly as she examined the baffled girl in front of her. She could see the daily resemblance. Polly was beautiful, like Alice and Betty alike, but she didn’t seem as shrewd or calculated as Alice or as knowledgeable as Betty. Could it be she was toying with her? Was this part of her mother’s plan? Or was it possible Polly really didn’t know about their heritage? As she stared into Polly’s hopeful eyes she realized it was, in fact, the latter.

She realized her declaration would come as a shock, so she lowered her voice to the gentlest tone she could muster in her current condition. “Polly, I’m not sure how to explain this to you and have you believe me, but Hiram Lodge took Betty because she’s half-fae, like you.”

Polly squinted at JB through the dim lighting before shaking her head and laughing. “Okay, now I know they sent you here to mess with me.”

“It’s true!” JB belted out. “Your mother came from the fae world and you two were born of half-fae blood. Think about it. Didn’t you ever see things at home you couldn’t explain? Did you ever do something you couldn’t explain?”

Polly stared at JB as she assaulted her memories. She recalled a science test back in third grade on photosynthesis and the plant cycle. The week prior she had planted seeds for a rosebush with her mother and the next day beautiful, salmon- colored roses appeared. She had written down that the gestation period for a flower was twenty-four hours and all they needed to grow was a beautiful song, like the one her mother sang. Polly had failed the test. And what about a few weeks ago in her cell. Where did the blast of light come from?

“No,” she said casually. “No, there’s no way...I”

“You know it’s true, Polly. You can feel it in your heart of hearts that what I’m speaking to you is the truth.”

Polly was silent for a solid minute, glancing out at the long corridor on the other side of their cell. “Why Betty?” she finally asked quietly. “Why not me? I can’t do magic so why does he think she can?”

“She can and so can your mother,” JB responded. “I’ve seen them both in action. Your mother is quite terrifying when she’s defending those she loves. And if I had to gather a guess, I’d bet money you can do it, too.”

Polly opened her mouth as if to argue but closed it just as quickly, the incident with the light still nagging her gut.

“You know it’s true, Polly,” JB spoke softly. “Tell me you don’t.”

“Why can’t I do what they can do?” Polly asked sharply. “If what you say is true, then how can my little sister be so powerful and I can’t even make a blossom bloom?”

“I don’t know,” JB shrugged. “I don’t have all that much information but I did hear the pack talking about drawing from feelings, especially love.”

Polly huffed and shrugged out her arms. “Well, that explains it. I haven’t had much love in my life.”

JB stared at her, aghast for a moment before bursting out in a harsh laugh much to Polly’s dismay. “I’m sorry, but  _ you  _ didn’t have much love? There is literally a pack  _ dying _ to find you and you were all I heard about while I was at the Serpent Pack House. Betty would do  _ anything  _ for you and your other would literally die to protect you. My mother starved me, beat me, and has never once hugged me in my almost sixteen years of existence, so don’t tell me you don’t have love. You’re just selfish and want  _ more _ . Be happy with what you have!”

Polly stomped back over to her dark corner and sank down against the wall, ignoring JB for the next half-hour, lost in thoughts. When JB thought Polly had possibly fallen asleep, she heard her speak.

“You’re right,” Polly said, dejected. “I’m a terrible human.”

“No,” JB said sadly. “I didn’t mean-”

“Yes, you did,” Polly laughed, darkly. “But I think I needed to hear it. I was loved. Betty  _ always  _ was doing the sweetest things for me and my mother tried to bend rainbows to make me feel better when I didn’t shift. I was just  _ so _ angry. You don’t know how hard it is to be immersed in a supernatural world when you’re ordinary.”

JB conceded to that point. Though she was unwanted and too often alone, she still understood Pack dynamics. “But you aren’t ordinary, Polly. You have just as much magic in you as Betty does.”

“I made a light,” Polly said suddenly, almost interrupting JB. “I didn’t know I did it at the time or how it happened but I understand now. I was thinking of Betty and how much I envied her and loved her and… there it was. It just sparked before me and quickly fizzled out.”

JB seemed unsurprised by Polly's revelation, though not much could surprise her anymore. “You know, many things need chants or phrases to work, but I saw Alice do many things on that battlefield without uttering a word. Maybe we can work on that- targeting your emotions to coax out your inner fae.”

Polly smiled, widely now, and scooted her way back into the strip of light between them.

“I think that’s a great idea,” she agreed. “Then maybe I can get you out of here and we can go save Betty.”

JB chuckled and Polly looked at her sideways. “What?”

“Nothing,” JB smiled. “Those idiots upstairs have been trying to squash me and stifle my hope for years and when they finally, literally chain me up, they do so with the greatest hope I’ve ever had of a permanent escape from this life. Seems oddly poetic to me.”

“I’ll get you out of here, JB,” Polly promised. “You and Betty. We’re going home.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just beyond the far horizon  
> Lies a waiting world unknown  
> Like the dawn its beauty beckons  
> With a wonder all its own”  
> -Lord of the Rings

**Riverdune Ring Fort**

The first leg of their trip had been an interesting one. Five of them walking as if tethered to one another had proved more difficult than they imagined as they adjusted to the feeling. They had fallen down the stairs in a jumbled pile, rolling over one another, giant backpacks clanking as they fell. Alice had cursed them all when they hit the first landing, untangling her limbs from theirs and sending them down slowly one by one. The first half an hour in the forest was a constant pull back and forth as well like a game of tug-of-war. Someone would take three steps forward and then would be yanked back five. Sweet Pea was about two minutes from instituting a military-style walking plan when they finally adjusted to the sensation and were able to move without being propelled back towards Alice. For that she was grateful.

They had traveled through the forest on foot for hours, weaving through paths, tall grass, and willow groves they didn’t even know existed before tonight. They had left Serpent territory long ago and a thick fog began to grow around them, the cinnamon and burnt orange leaves on the trees more like shadows as the dark trees stretched their twisted limbs overhead. Night had fallen and the ominous glow of the moon cast their shadows into the mist.

Out of the murk, the grass ended abruptly and a stone surface appeared, large rounded stones standing in a circular pattern in the center of the formation.

“Oh thank God,” Toni groaned. “I thought we’d never make it here.”

“Enjoy the minute of respite now,” Alice panted, working her way to the center of the ring. “Once we get in there’s a long way to go.”

“What is all of this?” Sweet Pea asked, gesturing to the decorated trees surrounding them.

“They’re hawthorn trees. Gathering places for fae. People probably planted them years ago assuming the ring fort was our entry point.” Alice explained.

“What are all the colorful fabrics and decorations for?” Jughead asked, noting the yarns woven into the branches. 

“Rag trees,” Alice smiled. “It seems some locals must keep up old traditions, decorating the trees as offerings for the fae. I haven’t seen these in years. Not since I crossed into this realm. It’s beautiful.”

“Let’s hope your kind is pleased with us humans then,” Jughead spoke, looking up at the full moon above. “It’s it time now? Can we cross?”

Alice looked up at the sky as well and placed her palm upon the stones around her. “We should be able to. I can feel the vibrations throughout the stones. The portal is easiest to open just before night meets day, the energies of both combining. In a morning mist, dew freshly kissed, crisp air so clear, the time is near.”

“Do all fae speak in rhymes and riddles?” Archie asked, concerned. “Because if so I’m going to have a harder time with this trip than I thought.”

Alice managed a small smile and grabbed at Archie’s chin, giving him a light pinch before moving to the center of the rocks.

“Come now. Hold my hands and form a circle. Be prepared for arrival. Everything will seem excessively beautiful to you in this realm, but you must be wary. The beauty masks the dangers lurking in every beam of sunshine.”

They linked their fingers and as soon as they did Jughead could feel the energy of the earth, running up his legs, through his veins, and into his palms. It was an awakening and frightening all in one.

“Is this what Betty feels all the time?” he asked excitedly. “This energy and this flow of all things connected as one? It’s… I feel alive and aflame.”

“I just feel Pea’s sweaty palm,” Toni grimaced, wrinkling her face up at her friend.

“You can feel the earth’s power, Jughead?” Alice asked suspiciously. “That’s… that’s a fae trait. An ability reserved for  _ only  _ fae.”

Jughead stared back at Alice, understanding the implication of her words. “Well, clearly not as I’m one hundred percent wolf.”

Alice tabled the situation for the time being and began to clear her mind. As she did so the fog began to clear from the ringfort, leaving an ominous, thick foggy ring around them.

“Naneth coe, ün cín forwæ. Ün cin reåles. Ün cinam amber. Nall- ammen bar.”

A luminescent glow began to radiate from between the rocks, heating their skin like a soft kiss from the sun. As the glow increased in brightness and circumference, there was a tugging sensation behind their bellybuttons and their skin began to feel like dripping jam, liquifying in the intense heat. As soon as they began to bask in the warmth, the feeling of comfort was torn away and they were spiraling, yanked, left and right, back and forth, always coming back to the center where Alice remained, tethered to her tightly. Like a nuclear meltdown, the light exploded and they felt themselves pulled forcefully towards the center of the ring, a cold mist washing over them and the world suddenly upside down. A wave of what felt like ice-cold water washed over them, but they remained dry. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the wave washed away. Gagging and coughing, their now prone forms crawled forward on hands and knees before opening their eyes, blinking in the glowing Moonlight that illuminated the lush grass beneath their feet.

“Oh thank God,” Alice sighed happily. “You all made it. I wasn’t sure that tethering would actually work.”

Sweet Pea rubbed at his sore neck, no doubt stiff from the assault endured entering the fae realm. “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me you didn’t even know if that would work? I could have been dropped in the middle of the Roman Colosseum circa four-hundred AD!”

“I mean, you could have also exploded, but you didn’t… so there’s that,” Alice shrugged, lifting her backpack. “Come. we need to keep moving. Something will have seen that burst of energy.”

“Someone, you mean?” Archie asked, rubbing his shoulder and hoisting up his bag as well.

“No,” Alice sang out sweetly, before turning on the spot and heading forward, the rest of them scrambling to gather their belongings and follow her steps.

Out of breath, they caught up to Alice’s stride, only then noting the light golden glow on the surface of her skin and the deep, rippling blue that moved and ebbed like waves inside her irises. She was completely ethereal.

“Stop staring.” she snapped. “I hide this in the human world but I won’t conceal it here. It’s literally meant to draw humans in and you’re falling right into the trap.” 

Tearing their eyes from her appearance, each of them finally began to examine their surroundings, something their wolf training had taught them to do immediately, but all that went out the window when they spun into another realm. Though they were aware of the danger, it was hard to imagine anything evil living among such exquisite beauty. 

Towering orchards lined the forest to their left, the sweet smell of fruits and honey wafting through the breeze, almost as if to draw them in by their senses. In the light of the stars, veins on the leaves flowed blues and greens, bioluminescent under the night sky. Huge glowing bundles of wisteria draped down from branches above, sprinkling fragrant golden pollen as they pushed through the vines, emanating a jingling sound as the wind blew through the grove.

Archie made the mistake of reaching out to brush his fingers against some and a branch quickly wrapped its way around his wrist, the flowers changing from their beautiful lilac color to a deep red, hissing as they latched on tighter. The vines were a second away from reaching their tentacles onto Archie’s throat when Alice appeared and ripped him free, sending a string of fire towards the venomous plants which left them whimpering back up their vine.

“Thank you,” Archie gasped, rubbing at the cuts, thankfully not deep, the plants left around his wrist. “I guess we should add ‘don’t touch anything’ on the list of rules here. Not even beautiful flowers.”

“I told you, everything beautiful here is dangerous,” Alice warned. “If you need to sit, find a puddle of mud or a rotten log. If you need to eat, find the berry that looks molded. If it glows, smells like summer, or is remotely attractive, stay away.”

To keep a close eye on one another they began to walk in teams, Archie, Sweet Pea, and Toni linking arms and walking behind Alice and Jughead who had linked arms as well. The first hour or so they walked in silence, sticking to the flat path. The only sound that had permeated the silence was that of birds in the trees and the buzzing of insects. The quiet was unsettling and Jughead knew Alice felt that way too from the way her eyes darted back and forth as they hiked.

Jughead’s nerves were on high alert and he wished Betty was there to share some soothing emotions with him. She always excelled at calming his fears. Though a whole realm away, he rubbed at his soulmark and cleared his mind as best as he could, trying to reach her if only just for a moment. His conscience hit a brick wall, rebounding back and barricading her thoughts from him, only tiny slivers of emotion able to seep their way through. He could tell she wasn't hurt and that she wasn’t cold. Wherever she was, Betty was comfortable. And there was something else. Some form of deep bond and intimacy he didn’t recognize. Could it be her bond with Hiram? It had to be, though it seemed too wholesome for that.

“Can you feel her?” Alice asked him quietly after a few moments. “That’s what you’re doing, right? Trying to reach Betty…”

Jughead shrugged shyly, blushing a bit at being caught. “It’s like second nature to me. If I can’t physically touch her I’ve always been able to connect mentally. We’ve never been this far apart before. Not since the day we marked. She’s fine, by the way. They haven’t hurt her. That’s all I can sense.”

Alice hummed, seemingly pleased with the news as the forest they had been walking through began to grow sparse. The grass and dirt gave way to gravel and then sand as they came to the banks of a shoreline, the moonlight beginning to fade slowly into the rising sun. Pressing a finger to her lips, Alice urged them to remain silent as she stared out over the waves. In the distance an island stood, towering above the sea while flecks of light farted about over the water, many vacating its surface and heading for the trees at an alarming rate.

“What are those,” Toni whispered seemingly mesmerized at their quick and effervescent movements.

“Ashrays,” Alice smiled. “They won’t hurt us, but watch what happens when the sun rises.”

As if she summoned it herself, the sun’s rays began to slowly sparkle on the water. When each tip of a beam touched an ashray, the fairy burst into a rainbow of water, cascading down into the sea below and leaving a trail of colors over the waves.

“I thought you said everything beautiful was dangerous?” Jughead mentioned, wary of the watercolor rainbows before him.

“I did and they are,” Alice explained. “The ashrays themselves won’t hurt you but they work in conjunction with the inhabitants of Hy-Brasil, that island before us, luring prey closer to its shores.”

“And what lives on Hy-Brasil,” Sweet Pea asked, exasperated that literally every living thing in Tír na nÓg was primed to kill them.

“That island rises from the sea every seven years and the antediluvians awake, very powerful vampires, and feed.”

Sweet Pea pursed his lips and nodded. “Right, well remind me not to book another vacation here until at least ten years out. I’m tired and the sun is up so it’s safe to sleep. Let’s make camp and eat so we are strong enough to continue at sundown.”

“You’re right, now is a good time to sleep, but we don’t need to make camp,” Alice grinned. “There are still ancient, abandoned cnocs agus sibhe a few meters back in the woods. I recognize used them as we passed by.”

“Crocsus angus shibby-what?” Sweet Pea jabbered back.

“Think hobbit homes,” Alice laughed, leading them back through the forest until they came to a clearing with a muddy bog in the center and tiny little hills raised from the ground.

“I’m six foot four,” Sweet Pea said skeptically, eyeing the small houses. “Exactly how am I going to fit in there? Magic?”

Alice shrugged. “I could shrink you if you really wanted. Or, you could just crawl.”

Toni wrinkled up her nose at the putrid stench emanating from the bog nearby when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Seated by the bog was the most crude, toad-like creature she had ever seen. A small, fat head sat upon a rotund belly, spindly thin legs hanging like lanky noodles. The creature's teeth were sharp and pointed and its nose took up three-fourths of its face. It was covered in mud and grunted lightly as it maneuvered its way around the murk slowly.

“Uh guys,” Toni choked out in disgust. “There’s uh, it’s a… there’s a thing. We aren’t alone.”

Alice glanced over and waved a hand in passing.

“Have you learned nothing from what I’ve said, Toni? Ugly is harmless. That’s a ballybog. If we don’t bother him, he won’t bother us.”

Jughead sighed. It had been a long day and his body ached with exhaustion. “Let’s get inside and rest before a beautiful creature appears and eats us alive.”

They had eaten a quick meal of dried meats and cheeses and turned in for a few hours of sleep. Archie and Sweet Pea had passed out at once, snoring in the corner. Alice had conjured a little light and sat in a rickety old rocker that was left in the disheveled abode, flipping through a small photo album she had stashed in her bag. Jughead wanted to join her to feel connected to Betty but sensed Alice needed her space. Instead, he lay on his back in the dark, hands behind his head staring at the blinking bugs and glowing vines weaving themselves through the peat roof overhead.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Toni asked, scooting over and laying her head on his chest. He dropped an arm from behind his shoulder and pulled her in tighter, grateful for the comfort.

“I keep trying to feel Betty and something just seems off. I keep telling myself it’s the binding, but it’s more than that. Something feels different in an intense way.”

Toni offered a small hug into his side and squeezed tightly. “I wouldn’t worry, Jug. It’s probably just, oh you know, the fact that we’re in an entirely different plane of existence.”

They both chuckled at the thought and he conceded she was probably right. 

“Hey, was Cheryl alright with you coming on this mission? I know she doesn’t control you, but she can be a bit… opinionated? Is that the word?”

“Fierce? Stubborn? Obstinate? Authoritative? Take your pick,” Toni giggled, letting the laughs drop off before sighing deeply. “Cheryl understood what it meant when I was elected to Councilwoman and more than that, she loves Betty. I won’t say she was thrilled, but she helped me pack my bag.”

They lay silent for a long while, Jughead silently drumming his fingers against his chest.

“What’s it feel like?” Toni whispered quietly, “What does it feel like to be kept so far away from her? Because I know how I feel right now and my soul isn’t linked to Cher’s.”

His fingers stilled and he lay still and contemplative. “Phantom limb syndrome. It’s the only way I can describe it. My body knows something is missing that should be there and it’s calling to it, needing it back in place. I’m in pieces.”

Toni scooted back over to her own set of blankets, but not before reaching out to link their fingers together.

“Get some sleep, but don’t let go,” she said sleepily, drifting off immediately. For Jughead, sleep was much more elusive.

**Stonewall Pack House**

Betty was roused from a light sleep by a hot breath on her cheek. Forgetting her predicament momentarily, she smiled sleepily and reached out a hand to run through her mate’s hair. When her fingers were met with greasy curls rather than his thick, smooth locks, her eyes immediately shot open and she flew to the opposite side of the room, knocking over a chair and a lamp in her hurry.

Malachi laughed at her apparent unease and sprawled himself out on the comforter, looking pleased with himself.

“What are you doing here? I know I heard Hiram tell you all not to hurt me…” Betty said, trying to muster up all the fierce confidence she could, but voice trembling slightly.

“Relax, doll,” Malachi said flippantly, rolling his eyes. “Despite my outward ruffian appearance, I’m quite the romantic at heart. I’m not into force. Now, Bret on the other hand… let’s just say he’s another sadistic breed of wolf entirely.”

Betty shuddered and rubbed at her forearms, remembering his wholesome smile and the twist in his eyes. American psycho popped into her mind when she thought of Bret Weston-Wallis. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me he’s an animal?”

Malachi grinned toothily and sat upon the bed, slinking his way over to where she stood on the opposite side of the room and holding out his hands as if to warn her he came in peace. “Partially. You see, I like you, doll. At the carnival, you were tough, funny, and quite adorable all rolled into one beautiful package. You  _ will  _ be re-mated in a week’s time with either myself or Bret. I came to tell you that if you ask for a choice in the matter, Gladys won’t say no. That’s something she would feel strongly about, even if she hates you.”

The contents of Betty’s stomach churned and she felt as though her dinner was about to make a reappearance at the thought of being re-mated to one of these vile wolves; the wolves who tried to kill her one, true love. She swallowed back the bile that was building quickly and put on her most convincing mask of contentment.

“And you think I should choose you? That I should  _ ask, beg even,  _ to be mated to you? Are you really that overconfident that you think I would throw myself at your feet and shower you with thanks for taking me in?”

Malachi huffed out a single laugh and shook his head. “I’m not that arrogant to think that I’m some type of catch. If I were, I would already have a wolf. I’m just saying that I’m more of a lover and less of a masochist. You see, you  _ will _ be mated. There’s no way around it. You just have to decide who it will be. Me, a scoundrel, but overall less malicious of a wolf who prefers consent, or Bret, who gets off on pain and discomfort.”

Betty stood silent, breathing harshly in the small room, her rapid breaths clearly audible and visible to the other party. Clearing her throat, Betty released her arms which had still been wrapped tightly around herself.

“Is that all?” she asked calmly.

“No,” Malachi replied with a shake of his curly head. “They want you in the main hall. I’m here to escort you down.”

“Lead the way,” Betty said stoically, choosing to ignore the warble in her voice as they marched through the stone corridors, down the twisted staircase, and into the main hall.

When they entered the towering doors, Betty was unprepared for the sight that greeted her. Hiram, Gladys, and Tall Boy sat up upon their platform with Jellybean at their feet, wrists shackled and a dirty rag stuffed in her mouth. Polly was off to the side, also bound and gagged, tied to an old wooden chair.

“Polly!” Betty cried, lunging forward to run to her side. With a simple shake of her head, Gladys gave a silent message to Malachi and he seized Betty, pulling her back towards the center aisle and down to where JB kneeled.

“Sorry, Blondie,” Gladys sneered. “No happy reunions today. Not until we see what you’ve got and we make sure that binding spell actually worked.”

Tall Boy stood, formidable and intimidating in height, especially standing on the elevated platform, already two feet higher than the floor. “We haven’t met. I’m Tall Boy, Alpha of the Stonewall Pack. You can handle this...captivity in one of two ways, Betty. As I see it, you could be insubordinate and difficult and wind up locked in your room for the rest of your time here, or until I get annoyed and find a spell to siphon your magic, which may or may not exist. Or, you can play nice and be welcomed to the pack in time and live out your days normally, doing our bidding, of course. You don’t have to decide now, but we will require a demonstration of sorts today.”

JB pulled on her chains and gagged behind the rag in her mouth, eyes wide and bloodshot, staring directly at Betty as if trying to convey something, but Betty couldn’t decipher what.

“I want to speak with Polly,” Betty stammered out. “I haven’t seen her in months and I want to be granted time with her.”

Hiram smiled and stepped forward, offering Betty a hand to help her onto the stage. “And you shall,” he grinned. “We aren’t aiming to separate you. Polly chose… the more difficult path which is why she has been residing in the dungeons. Perhaps your presence will shine a new light on what good behavior entitles you to. Now, let’s get started.”

Hiram gestured to a spot on the platform in front of JB and Betty’s face paled. The joy washing over Gladys’ features alone was enough to inform Betty that what was about to happen would not be a conjuring of butterflies or daffodils, but something much more wicked.

“As a pack, our main goal is to protect ourselves from enemies. This bubbling blister that has been nothing but a painful presence in my life had betrayed this pack, making her an enemy. And enemies,” Gladys grinned wildly. “Enemies need to be punished.”

Betty’s nostrils flared and her eyes squinted in complete disdain. “No,” she said, standing her ground. “I won’t do it. I won’t hurt her.”

“You won’t?” Hiram said calmly. “As I see it, you don’t have a choice. One command from me and you’ll snap her neck if I tell you to do so. Besides, I would think you would  _ want  _ to inflict as much pain on this girl as you could. She is, after all, the mole responsible for gaining your trust and filtering information back to the pack.”

Betty’s gaze snapped to JB and she saw it was true. JB’s face was streaked with tears as she sputtered and cried into the rag between her lips. Betty forced herself to meet JB’s eyes and what she found there was sorrow and regret.

“You said it yourself. She is an enemy. We knew that when she arrived. We knew it was a possibility. But she changed. She warned me you were coming and you obviously know that or she wouldn’t be in this position right now.”

“Smart and pretty,” Tall Boy laughed. “You’ll breed a fine litter of fae pups for us, no doubt. Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

Hiram looked poised in thought before he smiled in contentment. “Ah, yes. That will do. Now, Betty, JB here tried to steal from us. She tried to steal  _ you  _ and thievery is not tolerated here. I think a few lashings across her palms should do the trick for that offense.”

Betty raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I’m not some dystopian justice officer, Mr. Lodge. Anyone can wield a whip.”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to wield a whip. I want you to get… creative. Now, do as I say, immediately.”

Betty felt a compulsion so strong swim throughout her body, tickling at her magic. She wrought her body back and forth struggling to fight against the orders he had dealt, but the binding was undeniably contractual. Her bones began to burn and her fingers began to twitch and before she could even stop herself, her brain and lips betrayed her, uttering a spell.

“Tul- vinus -o i cóe,” slipped from her lips, Betty gasping as she heard herself speak the words she so desperately wanted to silence. Wooden limbs of tree roots burst through the floor of the stage, twining themselves around JB’s wrists and tethering them to the floor, palms up. Betty was trembling now, another spell attempting to ooze it’s way out as she struggled with all her might to prevent its utterance. Try as she might, the binding prevailed.

“Rist- i ráw,” she yelled out, the force seemingly stronger since she tried so hard to deny its entrance. Extra shoots began to emerge and sprout thorns as if they were from rose bushes. Rising up threateningly over JB, they lashed down upon her palms, over and over, cutting into the flesh there.

Betty sprung forward, pulling at the vines violently and cutting her own hands, trying to stop the scene before her, but just as suddenly collapsed, a terrible squeezing pain erupting from her chest.

Tall Boy and Gladys looked as if they’d just struck gold and Hiram remained cool and collected as always.

“I wouldn’t tug those vines, Betty. It violates our binding agreement. If you do so, you die and so does your mate since our deal is revoked. You can feel it, can’t you? I bet he can, too.”

The lashing went on for another moment until the vines and tree limbs began to recede back into the ground. JB refused to scream throughout the whole process. Though years leaked from her eyes she remained silent, her body shaking with the effort to hold back her shouts of pain.

“Take her away,” Gladys spat, looking down at her daughter. “Back in the dungeons.”

“Should I treat her hands?” Malachi asked as he lifted JB from the floor.

“Let her bleed out for all I care,” Tall Boy sneered. “That’s what traitors deserve.”

Betty could hear Polly sobbing from her side, but was too weak and tired to turn and look at her.

“Now see how you’ve exhausted yourself?” Hiram sighed. “Next time maybe you’ll listen the first time. I’ll be back tomorrow. We will see what else you can accomplish when properly motivated.”

**Fae Realm**

The last drips of sunlight hung in the sky and the moon pushed the day away and welcomed night. Jughead had finally fallen asleep at some time during the day and was in a peaceful slumber. Suddenly, an acute pain resounded through his chest and he awoke at once, grasping at himself and howling aloud. His travel companions were awoken by his shouts as well, only to find him clutching at his chest and tearing at his shirt.

Archie was at his side first, pulling the garment up and over his head, seeing no visible wounds.

“Get him quiet, now!” Alice seethed in a panic. While the others ran to Jughead’s side, Alice ran to the small-holed window in the doorway, hoping nothing heard their commotion. As quickly as his pain began, it left. Jughead was a panting mess on the floor.

“What the hell was that?” Sweet Pea hissed, towering over where Jughead was crouched on the floor.

“It wasn’t me,” Jughead said, still coughing a bit. “Or maybe it was. I think it was Betty, though. I think she was fighting them.”

“‘Atta girl,” Toni said triumphantly, ready to sing Betty’s praises when Alice turned quickly and began to hoist up her bag. 

“We need to go,” Alice said quickly. “Something will have heard us. Hurry. We need to go now.”

As quick as a wink they were packed and out front, the forest once again looking beautiful but venomous.

“We’ll head for the black lake and from there the mountain path,” Alice said nervously, eyes shifting back and forth. “You should all shift if we-”

From the depths of the trees, a rumbling deep snarling bellowed. Every inch of muscle went still in their bodies as they gazed out into the darkness.

“It came from the west,” Sweet Pea whispered as he crouched down to remove a dagger from his boot. Another snarling joined the first, the sound closer than before.

“And the south,” Toni breathed out, poised to fight.

“And the east,” Alice said. “They’re surrounding us.”

“What do you think they are?” Jughead asked, ready to shift at a moment's notice.

“My guess is they’re pucas, shapeshifters. They can be malevolent or helpful. It truly depends.”

“Malevolent how?” They all asked at the same time.

Alice twisted left and right for signs of motion but none had come yet. “Well, if they are in human or a friendly animal form we shouldn’t have to worry. They may just want a chat. If they have glowing eyes, they… may be here to eat us.”

“Oh, good,” Sweet Pea said flippantly. “Is that all?”

From all sides the trees began to rustle, leaving crunching on the ground, and glowing red eyes appeared from all directions. A figure emerged partly human, but also distinctly animal, panther claws and rhinoceros horns gracing its body. Another showed itself, mangled into a goblin form, followed by others in varying shapes, all eyes glowing with malice. 

“Orders, Jones?” Toni asked as the creatures began to trek forward.

As still as he could, Jughead began to remove his clothing, the others following his lead. The animals seemed to recognize the scent of their prey and crouched in preparation to attack. Bubbling over with adrenaline and anticipation, Jughead knelt down, anxiously. “With the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes.” 

The pucas charged forward, lips dripping with spit as they growled, and the Serpent pack shifted, Alice instead levitating herself up off the ground and into the air, prepared to deliver aerial blows.

They met in a clash, claps like lightning resounding as animal collided with animal, jaws gnashing at one another, and claws digging into flesh.

Sweet Pea’s towering, broad gray wolf shouldered one of the creatures into a nearby tree, Toni’s almost purple-iridescent wolf chomping at its throat until it stilled, the creature gurgling as it slipped into nothingness.

Three of the pucas circled Archie and Jughead, hoping to defeat them with numbers. The wolves stood, back to back, assessing their competitors. Jughead would be able to take on two, but not until the opportune moment.

“You are surrounded,” one of the pucas spoke, choosing the form of a sleek black panther with glowing red eyes. “You cannot win, but I confess, it will be fun to watch you try.”

Archie swallowed hard and began to growl as he watched them, their bodies so still they were almost statuesque. They remained still until finally the hungry beasts had had enough toying with their prey and made their move, darting towards them. The thump of the large beasts colliding echoed loudly in the quiet of the night. They were grateful for all the moon and bioluminescent flora and fauna as the battle would be near impossible in the pitch black of the night. 

The panther-like creature reeled up on its hind legs, stomping down on Jughead’s chest to pin him to the ground. With the force of his four paws, he tossed the puca backward and it stumbled in shock, falling to its side. Its companion came from the left and Jughead turned and clashed claws, Archie still battling the goblin-formed puca at his back. Just as Jughead had gotten the upper hand, the panther beside him began to rise. He could not take down two large-sized creatures in this close proximity at once. He needed to think fast.

Out of the sky came glowing, golden flames, sparkling and crackling in brilliant, dangerous beauty. The streams of fire jetted at the cat, setting its fur ablaze, Alice hovering overhead still directing her bombardment it’s way.

“Naur dalv!” she yelled breathlessly, the flames spreading like wildfire around the forest. The creatures began to panic and retreat, three not-so-lucky ones unable to do so, having fallen at the claws of the wolves. 

When the last puca was out of sight, they each shifted back, slumping forward hands-on-knees, their chests heaving from the unexpected exertion.

“Alice,” Toni said wheezing. “You seriously kicked ass just now. I mean, you are a force to be reckoned with.”

“Yeah, Jug,” Archie huffed out. “Your mother-in-law is diabolical, bro. Do  _ not  _ piss her off.”

Alice grinned from ear-to-ear. It felt amazing to be out of the shadows and free to use her magic openly again.

“Why, thank you,” she said smugly. “I-”

A rustling came from behind her as the aggrieved, charred panther from moments before emerged behind her, charging at full speed towards her back. She turned, frozen in horror as the beast was almost upon her.

“Alice, no!” Jughead yelled, throwing his hand out in front of him as if by an invisible force. The same golden sparks Alice had so menacingly wielded before flew from his fingertips and clashed directly with the beast’s side, burning through flesh and leaving it as ash in the wind.

They all stared at the empty husk of the puca and Jughead fell to his knees, staring at his palms in befuddlement.

“Jug?” Toni said, trembling. “How did you....? What just…?”

“What the hell, man?” Sweet Pea yelled out, filing in Toni’s words, his knitted in extreme confusion.

From the look on Jughead’s face, they could tell he was surprised. He looked up from his palms and in the sea of eyes staring back at him, he found Alice’s.

“What just happened?” he asked her, addled. “Did you do that? Did you use me or something?”

Alice wrapped her two hands around each other into one fist and pressed them to her lips, shaking her head slightly. She noted how his whole body was trembling from the strain of the magic, not unlike Betty’s when she had begun to manifest her fae abilities. Striding forward, Alice helped him up from the ground and checked his palms. They were slightly ashen but otherwise unharmed.

“Truthfully, I have no idea what just happened,” she shrugged. “I have never seen a human or were manifest magic like that, not even Hal when he was draining me for strength.”

“Could it be Betty?” Jughead pressed, needing an immediate reasoning for this phenomena. “Could she have sensed our danger?”

“I suppose anything is possible,” Alice agreed. “But we won’t have any of the answers that we seek until we find my family. Now, c’mon. Let’s move before something else finds us. We’ve made enough noise already.”

The wolves dressed and grabbed their bags, moving back onto their path between the trees.

“...won’t complain about bees and spiders anymore when we get back,” Archie was muttering, mostly to himself. “...panthers the size of elephants and ghoulish things...vampires…”

He continued on for the next half-an-hour.

  
  


**The Pembrooke**

Joaquin De Santos knocked quietly on the large doors before him, worriedly shifting foot-to-foot. He had been a rogue wolf for five years now, dismissed from the Stonewall pack for refusal to carry out orders; orders that involved administering a beating to their Lumina’s daughter. His own parents had been abusive and slackers, eventually running off and leaving pack life entirely. They had not taken him with them. He was happy on his own, living among humans, until Andre, a hulking wolf-of-a-man, had shown up at his doorstep and dropped him here.

“Mr. De Santos,” Hiram smiled, opening the door to his study. “Please, come in.”

Hiram gestured towards a comfortable chair by his well-lit fire and poured some of his house-made rum into two tumblers for each of them. Handing Joaquin his glass, he took a seat across from him.

“I suppose you are wondering why I called you here today. After all, you were forcibly removed from the Stonewall pack and I am from the Serpents.”

Joaquin lifted the crystal glass to his lips, nervously sipping the dark liquid. “I'll admit. I’m a little confused and a bit skeptical. What can I possibly offer you?”

“Let’s say that I’m no longer affiliated with my old pack and I’m not looking to form ties with Stonewall either. They are merely a stepping stone for my plans of grandeur. I need someone I can trust. Someone with no other loyalties to do something for me.”

“And what exactly do you need?” Joquin asked, knowing that with wolves, at least from Stonewall, favors could be dangerous.

“I need you to go to New York and conduct a bit of research for me in the supernatural underground,” Hiram said, his gaze off somewhere in the distance. “The information I require was not found in the Supernatural Archives and unfortunately, the folks of the underground community won’t associate with a gentleman like me and I have other pressing matters to attend to here.”

Joquin huffed out a laugh and pursed his lips, nodding in understanding. “But they will talk to a street urchin like me. I understand. And what’s in it for me?” 

Hiram took a large swig from his glass and stood, walking over to his desk and grabbing an envelope, fat and stuffed with cash. “This information is… invaluable to me.”

Joquin took the envelope from his outstretched hand and looked at the wad of bills inside. He would probably never touch this much money in his life ever again. “What information do you need?”

Hiram grinned, pleased at his acceptance. “I need to know how to siphon magic from a fae. Can it be done?”

“Fae?” Joaquin asked, confused. “You mean to tell me fae are real?”

“Let’s say, hypothetically,” Hiram replied, evasive as ever.

Joaquin eyed Hiram and then the envelope in his hand. He would eat comfortably for a long time with this much cash, but at what cost?

“This information… you won’t be using it to hurt anyone permanently, right? No one will be harmed?”

“My motives are purely scientific, I assure you,” he replied, smiling again when he saw the acceptance on the young wolf’s face. “Good man. Now, away. Andre will depart with you now. Do not come back to me empty-handed.”

Pushing Joaquin from the study, Hiram returned to his place by the fire. Soon he would know how to acquire fae magic and Betty would become unnecessary. He’d allow Gladys and Tall Boy to assume they were a team now and then when the moment was right, have Betty annihilate them before taking her magic. Then he’d have all the land from both packs and nothing to stand in his way.

“Oh, Hiram,” he chortled to himself. “You have truly outdone yourself this time.”

Down in the lobby, Joaquin found Andre waiting, speaking with a Serpent wolf he recognized from his past days at Pop’s.

“All ready, Mr. DeSantos?” Andre said in anticipation.

“Almost,” he replied. “There’s just one thing I have to do.” Joaquin sprang into action immediately, his arm wrapped around Andre’s neck, squeezing the air from his lungs until he passed out in a lump next to him.

“Oh my God!” Veronica yelled, poised to attack if needed. “Is he…”

“No,” Joaquin said, breath heaving. “Just unconscious. You’re Veronica, right? Help me tie him up and I’ll explain everything. Your father is up to no good, I can feel it.”

Veronica sized up the wolf in front of her but didn’t need much convincing. The possibility that Hiram was up to his old tricks again was completely plausible to her. Quickly, the bound Andre and deposited him into the back of the town car he had brought Joaquin in, before climbing side themselves.

“Alright,” Veronica smiled, fingering the pearls at her neck. “What evil is daddy summoning now and how do we stop him?”

“I’m not sure,” Joaquin replied, sticking the key in the ignition. “He wants me to find out from the New York underground how to siphon magic from a fae. He said no one would get hurt, but I can tell a person’s character when I look into their eyes and his were soulless.”

“Betty,” Veronica gasped, quickly buckling her seatbelt and reaching over and turning the key in the ignition herself. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get going! I’ll explain everything on the way.”

**Stonewall Pack House**

Polly and JB had been experimenting in the dungeon for three days. Without knowing the appropriate language and words, there was a limit to what Polly could do, but it was still impressive. She used her love for Betty and hatred of the Stonewall hierarchy to fuel her and it had jumpstarted her ability to conjure magic. Now she simply just could, without drawing on a source.

“JB, I can try and heal you,” Polly begged, watching as JB’s hands still cracked and bled, twenty-four hours later. “Please let me try.”

“No!” Jellybean hissed. “They will notice and then they will know you can do magic. They will bind you like they did Betty and we will have zero chance at getting her out of here. I deserve this, Polly. I betrayed my brother and your sister. I should have warned them earlier.”

Polly scooted over, kneeling on the cold stone at JB’s side, and pressed her forehead to her own. “JB, I’m the one at fault here. If I was just happy with the family I had and found my own path they never would have known about Betty having any abilities at all. You made a mistake, but so did I. And we are both trying to fix them. The Serpents believe in redemption.”

JB sniffled and shoved Polly back. “Bitch. Stop making me cry, I’m supposed to be tough and a few days with you and I’m a sobbing mess.”

“Family will do that to you,” Polly winked, sitting back onto the stone floor behind her and noting JB’s shivering. She was hoping it was from the cold and not infection from their unsanitary cell contaminating her lacerated palms. “Let me try something.”

Closing her eyes she cleared her mind. She filled her lungs with oxygen and focused on just breathing. When she was settled in that mode, Polly began to picture the color red and warmth. She let it fill her body and exhaled that heat out into their prison. The air around them began to warm immediately, humid from the dampness and standing water around them. Smiling, Polly shot up a fist triumphantly and JB giggled, basking in the warm air around them. Footsteps jarred them from their joy.

“Up,” Bret said, keying open the door and roughly yanking Polly to her feet, his grip bruising her bicep. He pulled her from the cell, not bothering to lock it since JB was still shackled to the wall. 

“Where are we going?” Polly asked nervously but was met with silence. Bret dragged her at a quick pace up the steps and down a hall, opening a bedroom door before shoving her inside. 

“You have ten minutes,” he said before slamming the door closed and locking it tight.

Immediately arms were around Polly and Betty gripped her tightly. “Polly!” she cried out. “You’re alright! We’ve been so worried. I’m so sorry!”

“Betty, no!” she cried back. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I betrayed your trust and the pack and I’m so sorry!”

“I forgive you,” Betty sniffled. “I don’t even care right now. It’s just so good to have your arms around me. I feel like I’m dying, Pol. I can barely feel him…”

Polly knew at once her sister was talking about her soulmate. She knew he was alive since JB had filled her in on the story, but the distance was draining betty. “You’ll find a way back to him, Betty. I’ll help you.”

Betty pulled back suddenly as looked into her sister’s eyes. “Polly, what I did to JB… the fae magic. I didn’t want to. You have to know.”

“I know-”

“Can you do it, too? Because if you can they will-”

“I can’t,” Polly said, very convincingly, her eyes darting to the door before looking back at Betty wide. Betty understood at once. They were listening. 

“That’s good,” Betty smiled, watching as Polly opened her palm which held tiny golden flecks there, showing her sister that she could conjure some magic. “That’s real good, Pol. Do you know where Jason is?”

She shook her head side to side, her lip turning down. She hadn’t seen Jason in the longest time. “We’re going to be okay, Betty,” Polly reassured her. “Now, we only have ten minutes left. Tell me all about your mate. I want  _ all  _ the dirty details, sister.”

Betty giggled and pulled Polly to the bed. The next eight minutes were some of her happiest in a while. With only a few moments to go, Betty grew solemn, placing a palm over her belly.

“Pol,” she said, voice warbling. “There’s something I need to tell you…”

**Fae Realm**

They had been hiking again for hours. Jughead wished they could shift into wolf form and run since it would be much faster, but carrying their gear would be near impossible. The journey was arduous and taking too long for his liking. Each moment he was here Betty felt further away and something was still eating at him. Her energy felt different and he felt extra-protective over her.

Small orbs of light danced overhead and distracted him. Alice had called them Devas, tiny fairies who appeared as balls of light, worshipping Mother Nature and the forest around them. Jughead felt an arm link through his own and Alice was there at his side.

“How are you holding up?” she asked him softly.

“I should be asking you that with Betty and Polly both in danger,” he shrugged apologetically. “Instead here you are worrying about me.”

“Mother’s habit,” she smiled, squeezing his arm gently. “You’re one of mine, too. You have been for a long time now.”

Warmth flooded his chest at the sentiment. Growing up he had always wondered why his mother left and Alice had been a prominent figure in his life.

“There’s something off, Alice,” Jughead said frustrated. “Something feels different with Betty and I can’t put my finger on it.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Alice said evasively. “Betty knows how to take care of herself.”

They walked in silence for a bit longer before Alice spoke again. “She’s lucky you were fated to be with her. I can’t imagine everyone would risk life and limb to cross realms for their mate.”

“She would be better off without me, “ Jughead mumbled, his habitual self-depreciation out in full force at her praise. “She is bound because of me. Because she saved me.”

“And you wouldn’t have done the same? She is bound because of Hiram Lodge and your mother. This is in no way your fault, Jughead.”

“What was that before? That light? How did I make that happen?” Jughead asked, changing the subject.

“I don’t know and I can only hope my people will be able to explain it.”

The tree-line had ended and a large, deep black lake came into view, a mountain passage just beyond. 

“We’re getting close,” Alice said thankfully.

A soft beautiful singing began to drift through the breeze, reaching their ears. The melodic tone was alluring, yet peaceful and Jughead felt relaxed by it as they walked. It was minutes later when he and Alice realized they no longer heard the jabber of the others behind them. Turning towards the lake, they found them all knee-deep in the black water, ambling in a trance towards a set of rocks in the center where three beautiful women sat, singing and beckoning them forward. With arms outstretched, hands the hooves of a horse, they called to them sweetly.

“Ugh, Kelpies,” Alice groaned. “I hate those loathsome spirits.”

“...And anything beautiful here is dangerous,” Jughead repeated, acknowledging Alice’s earlier words.

“Aw, you  _ do _ listen to me on occasion,” Alice grinned, raising a hand and plucking Sweet Pea, Toni, and Archie from the water and levitating them back to the banks of the shore where they stood. The three fought against her, scrambling to reach the girls until the creatures on the rock took on their natural form again, realizing they had lost. Black horse-like creatures snarled in anger before diving back under the water. Only one figure remained, still the form of a beautiful human woman.

“You’re welcome,” Alice sighed. “They look tempting, I know, but the Kelpies were going to eat you.”

The glowing, ethereal woman on the rock continued to bat her eyes at Sweet Pea and he smiled back, quite taken with her beauty and unable to resist. “I’d let her eat me.”

“Oh, no,” Alice explained. “She’s a water nymph. She won’t eat you, she just wants sex.”

Sweet Pea stared back, droopy-eyed and slack-jawed. “We’ve got time…” he said, just before Alice’s hand collided with the back of his head.

“Let’s go. We’re about two hours from my old home. If my family and people are still there, we can finally rest and get some answers.”

“Can I come along?” a low, sad voice called from the bank up ahead, seated underneath a massive, towering mushroom.

Alice took in his sad eyes, sunken in atop his goblin-like body, covered in fur. “Very well,” she sighed, flagging him along to the dismay of the group.

“What-”

“Oh, he’s a harmless urisk. They are notoriously lonely and he may prove useful if we hit any more snags along the way.”

Two hours later they had traveled without incident, the urisk jabbering to Archie the whole way.

“...and you know, you can also use a mushroom to make a hat. You have to find the right size. There’s small, and extra-small, and medium, and bigger-medium, and large, and larger, and…”

“Alice,” Archie snapped. “Are we almost there?”

“Just up ahead there is the path…” Alice trained off as the path split ahead into two. “Well, that’s new.”

“Ah yes,” the urisk said in its monotone voice. “That split a number of years ago, but I remember the before. The light fae are to the left and the...others are to the right. You  _ will  _ be going left, I hope.”

“We will,” Alice grinned. “You’ve proved most useful.”

They took the path to the right and as the mountain range opened up, a large valley was down below. The urisk took his leave, the vibrant colors of the valley upsetting his sensitive eyes. Golden homes and towering buildings glittered as the sun began to rise overhead, illuminating the village, already bustling with activity.

“Almost twenty-five years later and I’m home,” Alice said, nervously. Wasting no more time she adjusted her bag and began the descent. “Time for a family reunion. I should warn you all, my family was… important back then. I’m not sure the state of affairs now.”

They started down the mountainside and as soon as they reached flat land they were accosted by soldiers, all bearing weapons and golden uniforms. The wolves crouched back, ready to spring forward, but Alice put up a hand in warning.

“In the name of Queen Aurelia, I order you to declare your intent upon entrance to this kingdom. What is your business, fae…” he paused to sniff. “And wolves.”

“Queen Aurelia? No king…” Alice muttered sadly, trailing off before recovering her sense. “Well, Gervald, please send word ahead that Alinia has returned and requests an audience with her mother.”

“Mother?” the wolves yelled.

“Alinia?” Gervald said curiously, eyeing her features before erupting into a smile and pulling her into a tight hug. “Alinia! Quick, send notice at once!”

“It’s good to see you, Gervald,” Alice said warmly. “It’s been a very long time.”

Gervald pressed her back to get a good look at her. “You have no idea, Ali. Much has happened since we… since…”

“It’s alright, Gervald. I’m happy. I had a happy life and there are no longer and lingering feelings of resentment.”

“Captain,” one of the men interrupted. “The queen wishes to see her and her party at once.”

They were marched directly through the village, word already spreading about Alice’s return. Fae whispered and glittered as they walked by, eyeing the wolves with distaste and wrinkling up their noses at their scent. A sprawling, resplendent palace came into view and they were led up the endless winding stairs and into an equally colorful, lavish hall, torch lanterns glittering like fireflies. 

Large, ornate double doors peeled open to reveal a main hall, covered in scroll-carved woods, all coming from one colossal tree growing up from the center of the floor. Its massive limbs stretched out creating the walls, buds of flowers adding colorful patches throughout the twisted brown.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Toni whispered, her eyes glued to the ceiling where glowworms hung from the branches, illuminating the room.

A woman who looked no more than twenty-five sprang from the throne and ran forward, halting her motion when she reached them and grabbing at Alice’s cheeks. “Alinia?” she said tearfully as she searched her eyes. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Alice cried. “It is.” The women embraced, emotionally reunited after years of separation.

“Mom?” Sweet Pea mouthed quietly to Jughead, eyeing the beautiful woman from head to toe before Gervald leaned forward and smacked his side.

“Yes. Mom,” Alice chuckled. “They don’t age here. If I had stayed I’d look the same as I did twenty-five years ago as well.”

It seemed that only then did the Queen notice her travel companions. “And who are these lovely...  _ creatures _ .”

Alice turned and signaled them forward, gripping Jughead’s arm in her own. “These are the members of my pack, mom. My family. There’s Toni, Archie, Sweet Pea, and this is Jughead… your granddaughter's soulmate.”

The queen’s eyes snapped up in shock and regret. “Granddaughter?” she whispered softly.

“Yes,” Alice shared. “You have two. And while I’d love nothing more than to sit and catch up for hours, they are both in grave danger which is why we’ve come.”

The queen recollected herself, her normal facade of composure once again restored. “Of course. Come. Let us find somewhere more private to speak.”

**New York City**

**Track 61**

**Grand Central Terminal**

They had traipsed all over the city, finding the lowest forms of supernatural beings they could find, all provided to them by one of Veronica’s contacts and a shady business dealer named Magnus Vulgaria. Each contact provided them with what had proven to be a dead-end: Find Penny Peabody. Their last lead had led them to Track 61, an abandoned section of the subway underneath the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Rumor had it that some of the best, most notorious underground residents had taken to sheltering there, using the old private freight elevator wealthy clients used to enter the hotel from the subway platform in the nineteen-thirties, to secretly enter the property and steal items of value form the loaded clientele.

  
  


Veronica and Joaquin walked along the abandoned tracks until they came to a large, rusted old train car, doors missing and firelight shining from within. Making sure their weapons were handy, they hopped on the back of the last car and started making their way through.

“Excuse me, but we’re looking for Penny Peabody.”

There was no answer.

“Penny Peabody?” they asked as they passed each patron, receiving grunts or silence from the people there, curled up on the floor in blankets or playing cards, sitting on wooden crates.

“Penny-”

“Who wants to know?” a burly, six-four wolf asked, blocking their entrance from the next cart.

“Someone who can pay for the information they need,” Veronica replied, holding up the envelope of cash.

The man glanced behind him for a moment before vacating the doorway, allowing them entrance. A slender blonde woman was seated on an old, torn plaid couch, her hair matted and tweaked out in all directions, clearly still riding a high.

“Information is my trade of choice,” the woman snickered. “For the right price. Now, what kind of information are you looking for?”

Joaquin glanced nervously around the train car, waiting to be jumped for the cash, but things were calm as of now.

“We’re looking for a spell,” Veronica said, bluntly, looking to leave the murky station as quickly as possible.

Penny pulled out a pocket knife and grabbed an apple from the rickety, three-legged coffee table before her. “What kind of spell?” she asked, cutting a slice of the peel and chomping it noisily.

“Hypothetically, if someone wanted to know how to siphon magic from a fae, would there be a way to do it?” Joaquin asked.

“Hooo, ho, ho,” Penny laughed, a wide grin spreading across her face. “That’s a request right there! And what a doozy! Even if I gave you the spell, you’d die before you got close enough to even try.”

“But can it be done?” they both asked simultaneously. 

Penny shrugged and cut herself another slice of the fruit in her hand. “Anything can be done for a price.”

Veronica swayed over and tossed the envelope of cash on the table and Penny picked it up, flipping through it quickly. She looked Veronica over carefully and gestured towards the diamond bracelet that adorned her wrist. With a roll of her eyes, Veronica unlatched the jewelry and dropped it on the table as well, Penny grinning slyly and she mashed the apple between her teeth. She stood from the couch, and moved to the corner of the train car, grabbing a pen and writing on the back of a flyer for a XXX peep-show on Orchard Street. When she finished, she opened a drawer and pulled out what appeared to be a trail of bones, fashioned to look like a human spine.

Penny closed the drawer and handed Veronica the flyer and Joaquin the bone-rack, plopping back down on the couch and resuming her snack.

“Place the spine upon the fae’ and as you read the spell it will attach to their own bones. Their magic will be drained into the apparatus. Once done, the spine must be ripped from the fae. This will be fatal for them. It can then be attached to your own, the same spell repeated again. Do you understand?”

“How do we know this will work?” Joaquin asked, warily. “How can we trust you?”

“You can’t,” Penny smiled. “Now, get out and forget you ever met me. I don’t like wolves invading my den.”

**Fae Realm**

They were all seated in a comfortable lounge, colorful, puffy couches stationed around and large plush pillows on the floor. Aurelia had yea brought out to them, a swirling, sparkly pink colored liquid. Jughead sniffed the sweet liquid and put it back, reminded too much of Pepto Bismol by its hue. She had given Alice a quiet and brief account of the war; the very same one that had been raging when she pushed Alice through a portal to keep her safe. The dark fae had claimed her father’s life, but not before he took down enough of them to gain the upper hand.

“Now, what kind of peril are my grandchildren in, Alinia, and how did this come to pass?”

Alice delved deep into her past. She shared her arrival on earth, her time with Hal, and Betty and Jughead’s soul bond. Archie, Sweet Pea, and Toni were just as fascinated as her mother. 

“I always wondered if you’d come back, but I assumed when you did not that you found love. Why else would you give up eternal life but for love? And now to hear there are children… How can I help them?”

“We need your help with an unbinding spell, mother,” Alice begged. “We need to free Betty from their control or we can’t risk an attack on the other pack.”

“Unbinding a fae isn’t as simple as severing ties with a human. The fae willingly gave up their magical control and it must be returned by force. The fae in question would need to be pressed within an inch of death and the symbol carved into them before would need to be done again, only this time in reverse.”

Jughead sagged his shoulders and hung his head. “So we have no choice but to attack. We need to get close enough to Betty and subdue her in order to cast the spell.”

“Aye, you will,” Aurelia frowned. “You love her very much, my granddaughter I mean.”

Jughead tugged at the neck of his shirt and revealed his soulmark to the queen. “She’s the other half of my soul, Your Majesty,” Jughead said purely and honestly. “I would do anything to save her.”

“Please, call me Iar Naneth, Jug-Head,” Aurelia said. “It translates to older mother in our language, grandmother in yours.”

Jughead nodded shyly and Aurelia eyed him curiously. “Tug down your shirt again boy. I’m curious about that other mark nearby.”

Jughead did as he was asked and watched as her eyes studied his skin. “This is just our pack tattoo.” He gestured to the print on his chest.

“The bite mark,” Aurelia pointed. “Is that from my granddaughter?”

Jughead blushed and Sweet Pea chuckled at his discomfort, whispering, “busted” and earning an elbow from Toni.

“Well, this does change things,” Aurelia said seriously. “I’ve never, in my three-thousand years, seen what you are displaying before me. There are legends of course, but I thought them just that.”

“Three-thousand?” Archie bust out. “How old are you, Alice?”

Ignoring his friend, Jughead pressed the issue. “Does the legend have anything to do with magic? Because earlier when Alice was in danger I… conjured something. I’m all wolf. That has never happened before.”

Aurelia stood and walked over to her bookshelf, running her finger along the old, worn texts.

“There’s an old legend from long ago. ‘Emel -o i Garav’ or Heart of the Wolf. It speaks of a fae and a werewolf being soulmates, the female also marking the male which is unusual. In doing so, the fae willingly binds herself to the human, not to be controlled, but to share their abilities and life force with that being. You, Mr. Jones, shared soul-blood with Betty and it seems based on legend, you are now considered fae.”

Aurelia outstretched her arm and handed him the ancient book, Jughead scanning the images, shocked that his mind began to translate the fae words on the page as if he had always known them. For a long moment no one spoke and then Toni sought clarification. “So what you’re saying is our future Alpha is a fairy.”

“That he is,” she grinned. “And by marriage, a fae-prince in our realm.”

“Alpha in our world, fae prince here…,” Sweet Pea grumbled. “I can’t even get crowned most-wanted-Wyrm at the bar’s man-crush-Monday competition.”

“Jughead, this is exceptional news,” Alice smiled. “Don’t you see? When you approach her at Stonewall, you can compete with her power now. I’ll spend the trek back preparing you with the most needed maneuvers. You won’t need to hurt her, just tire her out. You share magic so if you are both fighting each other, the magic will weaken quickly and render itself neutral.”

Still reeling from the shock of becoming a fae, Jughead took an extra moment to digest Alice’s words, finally understanding her logic.

“That’s all well and good, but with injuries from last time, we still can’t just storm their pack house.”

Aurelia grinned excitedly, her green eyes twinkling like gemstones in the sun. “I believe we may be able to help with that.”

Jughead’s chest burst with excitement as he rubbed at his soulmark unconsciously. Though he knew she couldn’t hear him, he sent his message out into the universe anyway.

_ “I’m coming for you, Betts. I’m on my way.” _

  
  


**Serpent Pack House**

FP stood in his office with Fred, Tom, and Penelope, gazing down at their war map and experimenting with various attack patterns when Veronica burst in, Joaquin by her side.

“Alpha,” she panted out heavily. “We have another problem. A potentially world-altering problem.”

FP and the rest of the council stood taller, taking deep breaths and preparing for the news. From Veronica's bedraggled appearance they knew her news would be grave. Veronica Lodge was nothing if not well put together. 

“Who is that?” FP asked harshly, coming to stand in front of their battle plans.

“I’m Joaquin DeSantos, sir,” he said respectfully. “I’m an ex-Stonewall pack member, cast out for refusing to assault your daughter. I’m also the guy Hiram Lodge hired to find a way to siphon fae magic.”

“Siphon?” FP repeated, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

Veronica nodded, eyes knitted together and jaw tight. “Daddy’s plans were more destructive than we thought.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading about fae and folklore. My grandma and mom always told us that it was real growing up. I’m glad I could toss some of it into a fun Bughead story! 
> 
> I can’t believe there is only (probably) one more chapter to go! This has been a fun ride and you have all been so warm and supportive! I really appreciate all the kind messages and comments 💕
> 
> Much thanks to Jandy for her edits, suggestions, and being a sounding board for my insanity!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final showdown! Thanks so much for sticking with me on this adventure!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Jandy for the amazing support and edits! Follow me for fic updates on Tumblr @likemereckless

**Stonewall Packhouse**

Betty lay back on the bedspread, one palm splayed across her abdomen, absentmindedly stroking the skin there gently. As her fingertips strummed against her skin, she stared up at the ceiling and sang softly to herself and the bean-sized baby she was so keen to comfort, more for herself than anything else. With her gaze focused upwards, she failed to notice the light golden glow that tracked her fingers across her skin each time they made contact, gravitating towards them like a moth to a flame. The sun had set hours ago, but sleep didn’t come easy to Betty. She knew Jughead had to be alive, that he had to have survived the wound, or she would no longer be bound to Hiram Lodge. But her connection to him seemed weak and distant. She couldn’t communicate with him. If she tried her hardest she could feel a flutter of his being, but no more.

_ “ _ _ Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes _

_ And save these questions for another day _

_ I think I know what you've been asking me _

_ I think you know what I've been trying to say _

_ I promised I would never leave you _

_ Then you should always know _

_ Wherever you may go, no matter where you are _

_ I never will be far away.” _

Betty wasn’t sure if Jughead could sense her at all, but if he could she wanted him to feel her love, her strong conviction that somehow soon, they would be reunited again. She wondered if he knew that she was carrying life inside her, a life they made together. Could he sense it? Did he feel the fiercely protective vibrations that reverberated through her body since the moment she found out? Outside the door, Gladys paused in the hallway, listening to Betty’s song. Curiously, she quietly pressed open the door and peered in through the slightest crack between the wood and the door frame. 

_ “ _ _ Someday we'll all be gone _

_ But lullabies go on and on _

_ They never die _

_ That's how you and I will be.” _

Gladys’ lips upturned into a grin, not one of grandmotherly love, but a sneer as if she had just conned an old woman out of a slot machine jackpot. And that’s exactly how she felt at the moment -like a million-dollar winner. The glowing on Betty’s belly could only signal one thing. Of course, Gladys couldn’t be sure, but maybe she could press a confession out of Betty.

“Gladys,” Hiram’s voice echoed from behind her. “We’re all waiting. Why haven’t you brought her down to the main hall yet?”

“Hold your horses, Lodge,” Gladys spat. “I know you don’t much care for the needs of others, but I’d imagine you’d at least let her get dressed before being displayed in front of the pack.”

Hiram pursed his lips and studied Gladys steadily, analyzing her words before offering a curt nod.

“Of course,” he agreed. “We can’t have our most valued weapon treated like a common prisoner. Bring her down once she’s prepared.”

When he was out of sight, Gladys pressed open Betty’s bedroom door and leaned against its side, snickering as Betty promptly dropped her hand from her stomach and sat up, scrambling against the headboard.

“Main hall. Now. Let’s move, doll.”

Knowing that any refusal was pointless, Betty rose from the bed and followed her downstairs. Gladys was behaving strangely and it made Betty uncomfortable and wary. What awaited her downstairs? Did Gladys know her secret? Did she know something about Jughead? 

Her mind occupied, Betty was unprepared for the sight that met her as she strode under the large stone arches. The entirety of Stonewall Pack had congregated in the hall, all seated on benches. On the stage at the front of the room, Polly, JB, and Jason sat, chained and bound, and pulling and fighting against their restraints.

“And here is our guest of honor,” Tall Boy bellowed out, opening his arms and ushering Betty onto the stage. “Our prize mare, if you will, here to bring glory and the recognition deserved to the Stonewall Pack. In a matter of days, our new pack member here, Betty Cooper, will be instrumental in dismantling the Serpents once and for all.”

“She is a Serpent!” one of the Stonewall wolves called out. “She’s their future Lumina. She can’t be trusted!”

“Ahh,” said Hiram Lodge, sauntering forward and lifting one finger, a sinister smile on his face. “And that is where you are wrong, my friend. She may be the most trusted individual in this room because I control her every move. Perhaps a demonstration will rekindle the desire for blood.”

Gladys shoved Betty forward, snapping her gum and signaling Bret to bring Jason to the center of the platform.

“We have a secret weapon, my canine family,” Tall Boy boomed. “Under the control of Lodge here, and by association the Stonewall Pack, is a living, thriving fairy, bound to enact out will.”

Murmurs of surprise and disbelief flowed through the hall.

“Is that why we attacked the Serpents?”

“That explains the kidnap, don’t kill order.”

“Is her sister a fairy, too?”

Gladys held out her hands and shushed the crowd, ordering them to settle down at once before she answered their questions.

“Yes, this is why we ambushed the Serpents. We didn’t want to go onto their turf blind. We wanted them out in the open to reduce casualties and to bring in this little doll here. My beautiful daughter-in-law, if you will,” she laughed. “As for the annoying, towering blonde over there,” she said gesturing towards Polly. “We aren’t sure if she’s fae or not. Her powers haven’t been shown to us. But I think tonight’s demonstration will prove useful in determining that. Hiram?”

Hiram gripped Betty gently by the elbow and led her closer to the center as Bret pushed Jason down onto his knees before her.

“No,” Betty pleaded, her eyes wide and gazing up at her puppetmaster. “Please, no. You know Jason. You watched him grow up. He’s family! You know how much Penelope has missed him!”

Hiram feigned a pout and placed a palm upon Betty’s cheek. “Elizabeth,” he said mockingly. “You of all people, with your appreciation for art and literature should understand.”

Hiram placed a hand to his chest and theatrically stared up at the ceiling, annunciating his words dramatically for all to hear. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”

Betty scoffed in disgust and quirked an eyebrow back at him, folding her arms across her chest. “Shakespeare, Mr. Lodge? You don’t know it quite as well as you think. At the end of that monologue,  _ death  _ is the last part he plays, and that’s what is coming for you when my family gets their hands on you.”

“Death is coming for your family, Betty,” Hiram forewarned. “Scythe in hand, with you as the reaper. It’s coming for them and soon. Make your peace with it. I have. Now, let’s begin.”

Betty shook her head at Jason apologetically. Though he was gagged and couldn’t respond, he closed his eyes softly before reopening them as if to convey that it was all right. He knew this was beyond her control. She looked to Polly next, struggling against her restraints and screaming into the fabric sealing her lips shut, soaked with spit and tears as she yanked and tugged with all her might to spring loose.

“So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this, and gives life to thee,” Hiram sang out, caressing Betty’s cheek softly. “Now, my fae, remove the air from his lungs and the sight from his eyes. Let him flop and gasp like a fish out of water, knowing his last moments will be dark and alone.”

Tears streamed down Betty’s cheeks as her adrenaline coursed through her, skin prickling and tingling with the stirrings of magic as she tried to resist his command. “You’re a monster,” she spat, trembling forcibly.

“I believe you’re the monster and I am merely your handler. I gave the order, but you are the one who will extinguish his life. Now, do as I commanded.”

Betty’s body began to seize as she used all the willpower she had to refuse his command. As she willed herself to rebuke his directive she felt her heart clench and constrict and she knew wherever Jughead was that he could feel it, too. She yelled out, echoing through the large stone hall in agony as every cell protested and shook, her nose beginning to bleed with the effort. Finally, she could take no more.

“Thui- baw gwilith, shea baw eylith,” Betty cried out loudly, sinking to the floor from exertion immediately after. From the center of the floor, Jason began to look around panicked, his eyes now pure white and flat, unseeing as his mouth opened and closed in giant gasping heaves, desperate for air as his lungs sealed up and shriveled thin. He fell forward, wriggling and writhing in a hopeless attempt to find oxygen.

Polly closed her eyes tightly and hung her head. She was suffering in anguish, wanting nothing more than to save Jason. It was her fault he was there after all, but in doing so she would expose her magic and be subjected to the same fate as Betty. Jason was lost, and even if she stopped it, she was untrained and knew she couldn’t subdue an entire pack. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she cried, “I’m sorry,” into her gag like a mantra, over and over again until the trembling in Jason’s body stopped. Polly’s body dropped forward, so limp that the chair tipped as well as she cried out in horror. 

Betty lay exhausted on the worn wooden floor. She looked over at Jason listlessly and whispered, “Leth i gwilith rinn,” before laying her head back down.

The whole room whispered and tutted in awe as Tall Boy nodded to Malachi, who climbed up on the platform and began to haphazardly drag Jason’s body from sight.

“Toss him in the woods and let him rot,” Tall Boy sneered. “His body is of no use to us.”

Betty could not control the shaking coursing through her system. She tried to restore the functioning of his lungs once she had carried out Hiram’s orders, but had it worked? She imagined if it had that they would have noticed and Malachi or Tall Boy surely would have finished Jason anyway. It was a useless attempt, but she had to try. She had killed him. She had come in like a tornado and sucked all the oxygen from the lungs of the only man her sister had ever loved. There was life and then there wasn’t, and she was to blame. She curled in on herself in a ball and cradled her abdomen. What kind of mother would she be? She was a murderer and a baby deserved better than that. Harshly, Betty was dragged to her feet as Gladys propped her up for the pack to see, like a sideshow attraction at a state fair.

“And that, my brothers, is how we are going to decimate the competition,” Tall Boy crowed excitedly.

“And how is that?” a handsome wolf called from the front row. “If she refuses and resists like just now she barely has enough power to take out one wolf, let alone a whole pack.”

Hiram stared the man down and strode forward slowly. Lifting a blade from his pocket, he sliced a gash down Betty’s forearm. Betty gasped out in shock at the pain, weak already and barely able to stand. Lifting her arm, Hiram licked up a stripe of her blood before walking to the edge of the stage, reaching out his arm and gripping the other wolf by the throat. He lifted him easily from his seat into the air and with one forceful clench, snapped his neck like a twig, dropping his body back down to the floor.

“She won’t resist, because Betty will show mercy. She knows they can’t beat us while we control her and she will do them a mercy and kill them quickly. If she doesn’t, I’ll string them up and bleed them out for days.” Hiram glared at Betty as he spoke his last words, letting her see the promise behind them. “As for the long term, she is bound to me and at some point, her magic will be mine and she will find the same fate as her pack. Until then, you respect her power and mine.”

Hiram sneered at the pack one last time before walking from the platform and from the hall, Tall Boy calling out and dismissing the meeting, sending the wolves back to work.

“What should I do with the girl, boss?” Bret asked as Polly still lay in an emotional heap on the ground.

Tall Boy shrugged and looked over her in disgust. “She’s useless clearly. Lock her back up. Betty can practice on her next. Gladys, take Betty to rest. We head out tomorrow morning and she will need her strength.”

“Polly!” Betty cried out as Gladys’ sweaty hands yanked her from the platform and back towards her room. Betty fought and screamed through her exhaustion the entire way. When they reached her room, Gladys shoved her inside roughly and slammed the door behind her, gripping Betty’s face between her fingers of her one hand roughly and gripping Betty’s abdomen with the other.

“Now you listen here, doll, and you listen well,” Gladys sputtered, her hot, stale breath on Betty’s cheek. “I know your secret and I will use it against you. If you so much as attempt to resist us again, I’ll cut that cub out of you while your mate watches and feed it to this pack, so help me God.”

Betty seethed and boiled red with rage at Gladys’ threat and hoisted her head back and spit directly in her eye, earning herself a stinging slap across the face from Gladys in retur.. 

She pressed more forcefully on Betty’s stomach. “Just remember, doll,” Gladys sneered. “Even if it lives, once that pup is born and we drain your magic, we don’t need you. That fae-wolf will be mine and will serve the Stonewall Pack. It won’t ever know you existed and it will be a cold, emotionless, blood-thirsty weapon that I will beat into submission myself.”

Gladys dropped her hand and shoved Betty back onto the bed before strolling casually back over to the door and looking over her shoulder. “Sweet dreams, doll. Grandma’s watching.”

**Fae Realm**

They had stayed up through the day, strategizing and discussing a plan of action. The wolves were exhausted, functioning on barely any sleep and complete physical exertion. The Queen had arranged a room for them to rest before they began the arduous journey back home again, though this time with an army that should prevent any unwanted attacks. While the others slept, Alice and Jughead sat up with Aurelia as she spoke more of what had transpired after Alice had left and her new life in the human world.

“So let me see if I have this straight,” Aurelia repeated, confused. “You fell in love with his father but had two daughters with another wolf. FP killed  _ him  _ and you stayed in the pack, but couldn’t be his mate so you’ve been secretly dating for fifteen years. Jughead is FP’s son, and a future Alpha, but not your son and he soulmarked with Betty, my granddaughter.”

“I mean, when you say it like _ that _ …” Alice shrugged.

“Tell me more of Betty,” Aurelia smiled, ignoring Alice’s attitude. “What is she like?”

“Polly and Betty-” 

“No,” Aurelia interrupted her daughter. “Not Polly. She is clearly weak and selfish and you know how I feel about weakness, Alice. I want to hear about Betty and I want to hear it from him,” she finished, pointing at Jughead.

Jughead swallowed visibly, amazed that a mother and grandmother could speak that way about a child. Then again, his own mother left him for dead, so perhaps parents like FP were the rarity, not the norm. He understood why Alice hadn’t returned after meeting his father and why she gave up her immortality. 

“Betty is…” Jughead began. “She’s… Betty’s like…”

“If you’re going to be a leader, child, you’re going to need to garner better public speaking skills,” Aurelia teased, less than playfully.

“It’s hard to gather my thoughts about Betty. You ask me to talk about her, but where do I start? She’s like the entirety of my night sky, bright lights in an otherwise vast, empty space. She’s kind yet fierce, decisive and sure, but also awkward and shy, with a quiet vulnerability. She once wrote that I was unapologetically me and if that’s true it’s only because I follow her example. I can’t explain Betty to you, because it’s impossible to define her existence in a few short words. She’s…”

Jughead’s speech stopped and he clutched at his chest, doubling over in unexplainable pain, the front of his shirt beginning to run red with crimson stains of blood. Raising a hand to his chest, Jughead’s wide eyes met Alice’s as his stained fingers came away from his shirt. His body crashed forward hitting the plush carpeting and he began to convulse. The commotion had awoken the others and drawn the attention of the far guard beyond the doors.

Alice dropped to her knees, her hands shaking as she tore at his t-shirt desperately in complete horror. A gaping hole adorned his chest and was widening by the minute. Using the torn fabric, Alice pressed down on the wound, wincing at his hiss and cry of pain.

“What is this?” Aurelia gasped in shock. “What dark magic is this?”

“It’s Betty,” Archie said, anguished. “She’s resisting whatever they are asking her to do and it’s reversing the agreement. This happened two days ago as well, but it wasn’t as severe. If she doesn’t give in soon…”

As suddenly as it had begun, the convulsions ceased, Jughead’s body pale and covered in a thin layer of sweat. 

“What do we do?” Toni cried through her tears. “That wound… Betty healed it last time.”

“And that will stick,” Alice said as she trembled, pulling the fabric back from his chest again. “If she holds up the agreement, he will heal. Watch.”

They all looked on in awe as skin and muscle began to rebuild, knitting their way back together, sealing the wound closed.

“Will he be alright?” Toni asked breathlessly as she slumped down next to his limp form.

Alice brushed the hair back from his face and requested some towels and water to clean him up before replying. “He’ll be alright. Each time this happens it takes a toll on his body and gets a bit worse.”

“Gervald?” the Queen called. “Prepare the troops at once. As soon as he is well enough to move, we head out. Time is clearly not on our side.”

A thundering clopping of hooves resounded through the room from outside.

“Oh, what now?” Aurelia groaned as Sweet Pea made his way to the balcony to see what was causing the commotion.

A towering black horse stood before the palace, its rider sans head-on-shoulders, holding its glowing noggin at its side like a lantern.

“Hell no,” Sweet Pea said, stepping back, hands up in defeat. “I have had enough of this place and that headless henchman right there is the final straw.”

“Your Majesty.” A hissing of a voice came from the severed head as it was held upward for the Queen to see.

Sweet Pea’s jaw was aghast and dropped in disgust. “You friends with Ichabod Crane over there? Because I’ve seen this movie and we all die.”

Aurelia rolled her eyes and shoved him from her path. “Spare me your humor, useless boy,” Aurelia sighed. “The Dullahan is a faithful servant to me and has been since the dark times.”

“He  _ is _ the dark times,” Pea grimaced, earning himself another eye roll.

“What news do you bring me, my friend?” Aurelia asked eagerly.

The glow in the head dimmed and the rider lifted it over his shoulders, holding it there still for a moment. “I see a castle, a large stone home. The fair fae maiden locked away renders a beauty that could only be of your bloodline, my Queen.”

“Betty?” came a low groan from behind the Queen. “Is it speaking of Betty?” Jughead rolled himself from his prone position on the floor, still wincing as he pressed himself to his feet. Alice protested at first, but he shrugged her off in complete determination. She quickly gave in and helped him make his way to the balcony.

“Is it Betty?” he asked again. “What exactly does he see?”

Aurelia swallowed slowly and struggled to gain her composure, wiping her hands on her gown in a very unladylike manner before squaring her shoulders and adjusting her prim posture. 

“He sees death. When he looks into his head, he sees the home of one who is dying.”

“Betty…” Jughead said weakly.

“It could be Polly,” Aurelia said as if this option was better. “We don’t know who it is.”

“You say that like that’s any better!” Archie protested. “They are  _ both _ your granddaughters and Alice would like to have both her children home safely.”

The glowing returned to the Dullahan’s head and its vice hissed out in warning once more. “There’s more, my Queen. My brother’s whip… I can sense an energy, a vibration through it.”

Aurelia paled and pressed a hand to her chest over her heart. “No,” she whispered. “It’s been possessed, but inactive, without intention for years.”

Alice knew her mother quite well. She was very aware that the ghostly look of terror in her eyes was not something to be taken lightly. “What is it, mother?”

“Three hundred years ago, his brother was killed by humans, his whip taken,” Aurelia began as the Dullhan lashed his whip, one fashioned from a human spine, into the air. “It’s been intact, he can sense that, but never possessed with intention until now.”

“Intention for what?” Toni asked warily.

“The spine can siphon magic from a fae if it’s used in conjunction with the proper spell. It will attach itself and remove all traces of magic.”

Alice knew there was more than her mother was letting on, her grim appearance far too drab for this to be just about magic. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Aurelia paused and glanced up at her daughter apologetically, a dead look in her eyes. “When the siphon is complete and the spine removed, the fae… well, they die. It’s an unsurvivable spell.”

A complete silent moment of pause fell over the group and the Dullhan took his leave, thundering hooves once again sounding off into the night and a shrill screeching, ear-piercing cry resounded through the entire palace.

“Holy nails on a chalkboard, what is that sound?” Sweet Pea yelled over the high-pitched wail.

A pale, ghostly woman appeared from nowhere in the street, her white gown, the same Betty had worn at the mating ceremony, covered in blood, splattered down the entire back.

“That’s a bean-sidhe,” Alice gasped out, lifting a hand to her lips in agony. “A banshee. She appears in the clothes of someone who will die as a warning.”

“That’s Betty’s dress,” Jughead whispered out. “How long do we have?”

“Twenty-four hours,” Alice cried. “Maybe a bit more…”

“We move now,” Aurelia said flatly. “Gervald, Mount the horses and mobilize the men at once.”

“Alice,” Jughead said arduously, gripping her shoulders. “We  _ will _ save her. I… I have to.”

With a sniffle and a nod, Alice pulled him in tightly, embracing him as if he alone tethered her to the ground at that moment as their companions grabbed their bags and belongings.

“We ride now,” Aurelia called. “And we ride swiftly.”

  
  


**Serpent Pack House**

The council, along with Veronica, had not slept a wink. They sat waiting in the lounge, all silent in their individual worry as they waited for the return of their brethren. Before the arrival of Joaquin, their strategizing had been less than successful. They didn’t know the layout of the packhouse or surrounding woods. Joaquin was able to help them fill in the blanks, map out the area, and consider their options. Penetrating their defenses would still be risky, but at least they knew they were evenly matched in pack size.

The quiet of the room was interrupted as the doors blasted open, and Sabrina, followed by Hilda and Zelda, burst into the room.

“Wolfman Jones,” Sabrina huffed out breathlessly in her usual, snarky tone. “We’ve got a problem. I’m talking, ‘Medusa broadcast on the jumbotron at the Superbowl’ kind of problem here.

“Spellman’s,” FP muttered, looking up at the ceiling. “Why is it that every time we are all in the same place the damn sky comes crashing down?”

“That’s a question for a later date, I’m afraid,” Zelda said flatly. “It seems that the war you’ve inadvertently engaged in is larger than any of us imagined.”

Fred Andrews sighed and shrugged his shoulders in his dry, collected manner. “What now?” he asked. “Do they have trolls? Giants? The Eye of Sauron?”

“This is no laughing matter!” Zelda spat angrily.

“Right,” Hilda chuckled nervously. “And if they  _ did _ have the Eye of Sauron pointed here we’d all be orc fodder by now so…”

“Oh, Hilda, please!” Zelda cried, tossing back her head and groaning.

“Though I wouldn't mind that blonde fellow with the pointed ears showing up on horseback…”

Another flare from Zelda silenced Hilda for good.

Penelope, growing tired of the bickering, stood and folded her arms across her chest. “Enough banter and foolishness. Things are already grim and we’re barely prepared. What exactly has elevated the threat level in the past day?”

“Witches,” Sabrina answered grimly. “And a whole lot of them.”

“Witches?” Penelope repeated incredulously.

“Your rogue dog, Hiram, made a deal with Father Blackwood, who oversees the academy and surrounding witches. Ages ago this land also belonged under our jurisdiction and some very valuable ritual sites and artifacts were lost to us once it was stolen. The Dark Lord has been… irked by that for some time now, so when Hiram offered the return of the land in exchange for spells and protections, Father Blackwood accepted.”

“How many, Zelda?” FP asked harshly. “How many witches are over at Stonewall as we speak.”

The three witches studied the floor and Hilda rubbed at the wood nervously with the toe of her boot. “Thirty-seven witches,” Zelda said tersely. “All but the three of us, Ambrose, and the elderly.”

For a moment nothing happened, the hum of the lights in the lodge audible without anything else floating through the airwaves. As FP’s jaw clenched, so did his fist, and the whiskey glass he held shattered into pieces, the amber liquid mixing with his blood as it dripped to the floor below. He didn’t even hiss at the burn as the alcohol seeped into his broken skin. In fact, he welcomed the pain, he drew from it.

“FP,” Fred began, stopping as his Alpha held out a hand to halt his forward motion.

“Don’t,” he warned. “We  _ just  _ managed to get an advantage, finally and…”

A resounding, cracking, boom followed by the crashing of glass came from behind the doors of FP’s study. The council members all glanced between one another before scrambling quickly and wrenching open the office doors. The floor-to-ceiling windows had blown in and there was broken glass littering every surface in the room. Their eyes trailed from the mess on the floor toward the scene outside; Hiram, Gladys, Malachi, and Tall Boy all standing behind Betty whose arms were opened wide as she stood, crying before the broken windows. In her hands, she held an artifact, grotesque in nature, and dangerous in use: a human spine.

“Did you really think you could take what was mine, Joaquin? Did you think I didn’t have you followed?” Hiram chortled.

“Why not just get it yourself?” Joaquin yelled. “Why send me?”

“Let’s just say Penny and I don’t have the best history,” Hiram grinned. “But thank you for delivering exactly what I needed.”

“Hiram,” FP growled, his fists squeezed in rage and jaws gnashing as he tried to hold back a transformation with every bit of energy he possessed. His wolf wanted nothing more than to rip out their throats. “I’ll kill you...for what you did to my son. And you, Gladys? Your own boy?”

“He’s no son of mine, you piece of filth,” Gladys sneered, spitting on the soil in front of her.

It was unclear who moved first, but Penelope and Tom had both reached for the shotgun FP kept atop the shelf, loaded with silver bullets. The gun found its way into Penelope’s hands first and she turned, quickly on the spot, and fired a shot off in their general direction. With the gun aimed in her general direction, Gladys gripped at Betty’s shoulders and used her as a human shield. The silver pierced Betty’s shoulder. She cried out in pain and fell back against Gladys’ chest. The Serpents mobilized, shouting out in fear as blood began to seep from the wound in Betty’s shoulder, Penelope dropped the shotgun and covered her mouth with her hands, her fingers trembling in horror.

FP and Fred took advantage of the moment of confusion and began running towards the open windows, prepared to leap outward and attack the opposing pack. They were half-shifted when Hiram yelled into the trees and three girls emerged, cloaked in black and holding candles.

“Hold them back!” he demanded, as the girls began to chant in unison. FP and Fred leaped at where the missing glass once was, only to be tossed back onto the floor of the office by an invisible barrier. Veronica ran from the office and through the main hall, pounding on the front doors which were also temporarily immobile. Fred and FP continued to toss their bodies at the forcefield, watching the girls recoil and weaken with each blow as Gladys lay Betty on the ground carefully.

“What are you doing?” Tall Boy yelled, ready to take their chance to escape. “She’s dead anyway! It was a silver bullet!”

“She’s a fae, you moron!” Gladys exclaimed. “She can heal from this and we need her!” With a deep, shaky breath, Gladys gritted her teeth and shoved her fingers deep into the wound, Betty screaming out in excruciating pain as she maneuvered her digits around, searching for the bullet. Gladys knew when she had found it when the silver began to burn through the flesh at her fingertips. Securing the bullet, she ripped it out and tossed it aside, shaking her hand and cursing at the blistering skin there. Luckily for Gladys, it was a surface burn only and none had entered her bloodstream. Unlike Betty, silver was deadly to her.

“Their hold is waning,” Tall Boy yelled, he and Malachi backing up into the trees. “We need to go now!” He grabbed the spine from where Betty had dropped it and headed off into the trees. Hiram and Gladys pulled Betty to her feet, she was weak, but already healing from the wound.

“Hold them back, Betty!” Hiram commanded, noting the witches were reaching exhaustion. “Do something to keep them from following us!” 

Betty was propped up by two of her captors, Gladys pressing a hand over her wound to slow the bleeding as she slumped weekly against her side.

“I can’t,” Betty cried weakly. “I can’t.”

“You can and you will!” Hiram snarled. “That’s an order!”

Just then, the witches’ arms slumped and their spell faltered. Veronica, who had been slamming her shoulder into the front door, burst through as FP and Fred sprang from the windows. Tall Boy shifted and met them midair and Gladys hoisted Betty back from the fray. 

Veronica charged at Malachi, leaping and shifting midair as he dove to his side avoiding her attack. Rolling to the side, he felt for his weapon, but his usual knife was nowhere to be found, lost somewhere in his attempt to divert his opponent. With no time of his own to shift before her next attack, his arm reached out for anything nearby and settled on a high heel, left from Veronica’s shifting. Her jaws gnashing, Veronica pounced again, landing on Malachi’s side, her jaw sinking into his shoulder, tearing muscle and flesh from bone. In a moment of clarity in his agony, Malachi hoisted the shoe and drove the stiletto heel into the wolf’s side, Veronica howling and whimpering as she fell to the ground, shifting back immediately.

With her shoe jutting out from just over her hip, Veronica pulled the offending footwear from her side as Malachi grinned and stepped over her.

“Don’t even think of touching her with your contaminated, pimple-marked greasy hands or it will be the last move you ever make,” Cheryl stated cooly from behind him, her bow and arrow hoisted at the ready. Malachi turned and scrambled backward, heading off back towards the woods, tail between his legs. Grinning, Cheryl hoisted her arrow back and sent it flying through the air, piercing the back of his calf.

“It slipped!” she yelled as he stumbled from sight.

FP and Fred were still tangled with Tall Boy. Though he was much larger, the two wolves outnumbered him and he was quickly overpowered. Fred shifted, as did Tall Boy, while FP remained in wild form and pinned him to the ground.

“Return our pack members,” Fred warned him. “Return them and you’ll be spared.”

Tall Boy laughed and spat as his mate had, his mouth already filled with blood seeping up from his wounds. 

Coughing and sputtering, Tall Boy wheezed as he spoke. “You’ve already lost. I won’t cower or cave. I put my pack first.”

“Then you choose death,” Fred said solemnly, stepping back as FP dropped open his jaws and ripped out his throat, Tall Boy’s head dropping lifelessly to the side. 

With their Alpha dealt with, they sprang back up, looking for Betty. Though it felt longer, the assaults had all gone down in a matter of minutes and Betty had managed to regain some strength.

“Do it!” Hiram yelled again as Betty, body trembling, raised her arms.

“Gal- uin coe!” she screamed, slumping against Gladys completely as giant, prickled bushes, covered in spiraling thorns and brambles, rapidly climbing forty feet in the sky, cutting off the Serpents from where The Stonewall Pack stood. 

FP and Fred tried to press their way through, but the brush was too thick and the thorns too jagged and numerous. Through the brambles they saw Betty collapse completely. Hiram signaled Malachi from the tree line to hoist her over his shoulder before they were all out of sight.

“Damn it,” FP seethed. “Damn it!” he yelled again, punching his fist into the thorns and splitting his skin in multiple places. The rest of the council had made it outside by then, Hermione and Penelope carrying Veronica back inside to treat her wound as Tom joined Fred and FP.

“We’ll get her back, FP,” Tom promised, seriously. 

“Not now!” FP howled. “I don’t need a bullshit pep talk right now! What was Penelope thinking firing that shot? Thank God Betty can survive silver or she’d be dead already!”

Storming off he headed back into the packhouse, Fred and Tom staring at his back as he retreated.

“If we don’t strategize a new plan, we’re all going to die,” Tom said candidly.

“Then we’ll die,” Fred replied quickly and without thought. “But we’re not leaving three of our own with those animals. No Serpent left behind.”

  
  


**Riverdune Ring Fort**

The journey back had been quick on horseback, no foes daring to attack the Queen’s army. When they fell through the portal, Sweet Pea and Archie fell to their knees, kissing the ground below them.

“Oh baby,” Sweet Pea groaned. “How I missed you. I’ll never do you dirty again. That’s right, no littering, I’ll plant every Earth Day…”

Toni rolled her eyes and yanked Sweet Pea up from the ground. “I swear, sometimes I have no idea how you’ve worked your way up in pack rank so fast with that level of theatrics.”

“S’all about the show, baby,” Sweet Pea laughed, silencing at once with the look of contempt from Aurelia.

Brushing off her dress, Aurelia frowned at her daughter. “Honestly, Alinia? You stayed here for that?”

“Not that exactly,” Alice laughed. “My human is more rugged and dashing. But I do have a soft spot for Pea.”

While they stood talking, Jughead was already one hundred feet ahead of them, no patience for laughter and banter when Betty’s life was in danger. The other ran to catch up to him, calling after him as they went. As they closed in, Jughead stopped, gripping at his shoulder suddenly.

“Jughead?” Alice asked. “What is it? Is it your wound again?”

He turned and shook his head nodding worriedly at his shoulder. “It’s phantom pain. Not my own.”

“Betty…” Alice whispered, worriedly.

“How far from your… camp are we?” Aurelia snapped quickly.

“About six miles,” Toni replied. “We can shift and run…”

“No,” Aurelia murmured. “Our way is faster.”

Before they could question it, the wolves found themselves airborne. Alice smiled at their shock and excitement and Archie yelled out a triumphant, “Yes!” They breezed through the forest and in a manner of minutes were sailing over the large thorns Betty had created and were touching down at the Serpent packhouse doors.

“That was friggin awesome!” Archie laughed out. “We have to do that again! Wait, can Jug do that on his own? Can Betty?” Alice frowned at Archie and he dropped his grin quickly. “Right. Not the time.”

Alice turned carefully to face her mother. “Mom, maybe you should wait here initially. It may be a shock after the battle to see an army burst through the doors.”

Aurelia conceded with a faint nod, moved to explore the grounds with her soldiers. “Fae magic,” she warned Alice. “A fae created these brambles.”

The Serpents ambled into the lodge and found their way to the lounge, boots crunching on splintered wood and broken glass. They had no sooner entered the room than FP’s arms were wound tightly around Alice, pulling her into his chest and murmuring, “Thank God,” into her hair. After a long embrace, he moved to Jughead, gripping his arm and examining him before pulling him into a tight hug as well. Cheryl crashed into Toni, who dropped her bag and kissed her mate back with a fierce passion, so happy to be back in the same realm in one piece.

Fred had grabbed Archie and pulled him over to one of the large couches where Hermione was tending to Veronica’s wound. Crouching down, he laced their fingers together, pressing her to his lips.

“You made it in one piece,” Veronica teased. “You jump realms and are fine and I stay here and get stabbed by a Manolo.”

“A shoe?” Archie smiled, watching Hermione stitch her daughter’s hip. “That’s…”

“Irony,” Veronica grimaced. “And I’m saving the other one for when I find that bastard and spear him with it.”

“I’ll help,” Cheryl growled as she and Toni came over to check on Veronica as well.

“So what happened?” Veronica asked, the rest of the council now grouping around the couch where she lay. “Did you find a way to unbind her?”

Alice was saddled under the weight of FP’s arm, curled up into his side, happy to see the pack still in one piece. “We did,” she said hesitantly. “But it’s not a simple fix. We, unfortunately, need to get up close and personal with her which means we need to go to Stonewall and we need to get Hiram out of the picture.”

Tossing an apologetic look at Veronica and Hermione, they both scoffed. “Don’t look at us like that,” Hermione warned. “We have severed all ties with that man. He’s no family of ours. Now, tell us, what needs to happen.”

Jughead slumped down in a chair, mentally and physically exhausted, wary of what was to come… what he needed to do. “She needs to be weakened, extremely weakened almost to the point of death, and the sigil carved in reverse.”

Hermione exchanged a worried look with Alice, who shook her head, urging her to remain quiet. Jughead was already on edge and ready to single-handedly burst through Stonewall’s doors. If he knew about the baby he’d be uncontrollable.

“Jesus,” FP mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, intense,” Jughead agreed. “But I’m assuming that you’ve had time to make a plan over the past few days. Also, who the hell are you?” Jughead had finally noticed Joaquin in the background, standing against the large stone fireplace.

“He’s good, Jug,” FP promised.

“Are you sure?” Jughead replied, voice escalating. “Because the last time we let someone in here…”

“I brought him, Jughead,” Veronica explained. “He’s here to help.”

Jughead studied him warily and sent a look of warning over at him before turning his focus to his pack and nodding. “When do we head out? What’s the plan?”

FP and the council looked around, no one meeting Jughead’s eyes as he looked between them all.

“What is it?” Jughead queried. “What are you not telling me? What the hell happened out front?”

FP grimaced and grabbed the decanter off the table, looking at the contents inside before angrily shaking his head and tossing it back down, winning a silent, internal battle with himself on the matter.

“That mess? That was Betty. Hiram asked Joaquin to obtain an artifact that could siphon magic from a fae. Joaquin double-timed him and took Veronica with him to ensure we had control of the item.”

“The spin,” Alice said matter-of-factly.

“How did you know?” Hermione asked softly.

“Long story for another time,” Alice smirked. “But at least we have control of it. The damage that can do….”

“Actually, we don’t,” FP sighed. “Hiram had Betty seize it from us. He’s got dozens of witches working with him and we were no match for Betty and the witches. We did take down Tall Boy, though. That bastard is rotting in the woods as we speak.”

“So while we are sitting here talking, Hiram has the spine and the witches to enact a spell?” Jughead confirmed, springing up from the chair in which he sat. “What the hell, Dad? We have to go! Now!”

“We can’t, boy!” FP snarled, defeated and frustrated. “We won’t even make it through the woods with that many witches waiting for us to storm in!”

“Perhaps we can be of service in regards to that,” a melodious voice said from the doorway.

All heads snapped towards the sound as Aurelia, surrounded by her army, marched into the room, banners held high by the front two soldiers. The wolves stood stock still, unsure whether to approach or attack their visitors until Alice stepped over to the fae and grinned.

“FP, darling,” she smiled. “This is my mother, Queen Aurelia, from the fae realm.”

“Your mother?” FP coughed out, surprised. “Wait, Queen?”

“Yeah,” Jughead sputtered. “Just wait. The surprises just keep coming.”

Aurelia stepped forward and examined FP with acute denigration, curling up her lip and wrinkling her nose at his scruffy, bedraggled appearance. “I suppose I should thank you for taking care of Alinia,” she said casually, obviously looking him over. “You're handsome enough. I can see why she is drawn to you. And you raised a good boy. I very much like your son.”

“Aw, Grams,” Jughead grinned smugly, teasing. “You honor me.”

“Never ‘’Grams’ me, young man,” she warned. “Or I’ll never teach you how to use your fae acquired magic with complete virtuosity.”

FP tilted his face toward the side and arched his brows, wrinkling up his forehead. “His fae what now?”

“Long story also, Dad,” Jughead said flatly. “But turns out I’m part fairy now. Which is why, with this army and what Alice taught me on our journey back, we should be able to defeat Stonewall and save Betty.”

“Kid’s a fairy, my mate’s a princess, and Hiram Lodge just stole a magical human spine from my office with the help of witches. And it’s only Tuesday.”

FP shook his head and sighed, inhaling a deep breath and looking around at his council. “Okay,” he huffed out. “With a fae army, we stand a chance against the witches. Let’s go over the layout with everyone and then we head out. It’s time to get our Lumina back.”

Jughead anxiously clapped a hand on his father’s shoulder and headed towards his office only to halt midway, falling to his knees and reaching behind himself, pulling at his back. He gritted his teeth and bit at his tongue, scraping and pulling at his skin.

“Jughead,” Alice cried out knowingly.

As quick as it began, the pain stopped and Jughead looked back at his pack.

“They’ll be no strategizing and sharing of plans. We go now and we go in blind. Otherwise, we won’t have a Lumina left to save.”

**Stonewall**

Staggering back into their packhouse, the Stonewall wolves collapsed on the spot. Gladys had borne Betty’s weight the entire way and Malachi’s shoulder was torn to shreds. Many of the other pack members had congregated, awaiting their return. After their entry, they waited a few moments, glancing at the door, before Bret finally spoke. “Where’s the Alpha?”

“I’m the Alpha now,” Gladys said coldly. “Tall Boy fell. Anyone have a problem with that?”

A few wolves looked as if they wished to protest, but Hiram placed a protective hand on her shoulder, daring them to speak. After the demonstration at their last meeting, no one dared challenge him.

Donna had gotten right to work, stitching Malachi’s injury and he hissed and slapped at her hand, biting down on his belt for the pain. 

“Did you get whatever is it that you needed?” Bret asked, curiously. “Is it what we need to finally send those dogs to an early grave?”

Hiram didn’t respond directly. Instead, he simply smiled, dangerously, and began to unbutton his shirt, tossing the now wrinkled button-down onto a chair nearby.

“We did and it is,” he announced. “Prudence, prepare the spell now. Gladys, prepare the girl.”

Prudence, who had been leaning against the back wall filing her nails, glanced up at Hiram in disbelief and huffed. “You  _ can’t possibly  _ be serious. I’m exhausted from the last spell. I simply don’t have the strength.”

“You can and you will,” Hiram seethed, surging forward and wrapping his hands around her throat. “Or I will have Betty flay you and cook you over an open fire and fae magic is much stronger than yours.”

Prudence’s eyes bulged and she choked and gasped, reddening in the face. “Okay,” she gasped out hoarsely. “I’ll try.”

Releasing her neck, Prudence fell to the floor in a heap, rubbing at what would surely be bruising around her windpipe in a manner of minutes.

“Betty,” Hiram growled. “Prepare her, Gladys.”

Gladys hesitated for only a moment as if she was unsure of this side of Hiram, but followed through with his command anyway. She tugged Betty up front, Betty digging her feet into the ground and pulling at Gladys’ grip.

“Do as she says, Betty,” Hiram snapped. “I command it.”

With her exhaustion from the exertion earlier and her shoulder wound, Betty was in no shape to fight this time. Her body simply snapped forward and limply followed Gladys until they came to a table up front. Gladys looked at Betty and Betty pleaded with her eyes, begging her not to go through with it. Wavering for only a moment and clicking her tongue, Gladys took a deep breath before lifting her hands and tearing Betty’s shirt in two, removing the offending garment from her body and dropping it to the floor. Turning her around, she pressed Betty, stomach down, against the table, her forearm on Betty’s neck keeping her prone. Bret grabbed at her forearms as an added weight to ensure she was unable to move.

With her head turned to the side, Betty could still see her soulmate’s mother. Her tear ducts had run dry over the last few days, but she managed to squeeze out a few, once again begging her to reconsider. “Gladys, please. Don’t let this happen. I know you don’t care about me, but I’m carrying your grandchild.”

Gladys wavered, swaying back for a moment. She had hoped Betty would have the baby and Gladys would raise it, stoking its powers to be a shrewd killer, but with Hiram and the witches, she couldn’t compete. She wiped at the corner of her eye and pressed Betty down more forcefully, turning her face the other way.

Hiram approached, his veins engorged with adrenaline and anticipation, and rubbed a hand down Betty’s spine.

“It’s not personal, Betty,” he apologized. “I always liked you. I regret that this will be… painful.”

Carefully and meticulously, Hiram arranged the bones of the whip down Betty’s back, lining them up along her own spine. He traced a line from the cervical, to thoracic, to the lumbar portions of the spine before trailing off, pressing a kiss to the top of Betty’s hair. “Thank you for this gift.”

As he righted himself, Hiram glanced to Prudence who took a shaky breath and stepped forward, lighting a few spices she had displayed in small bowls around the base of the table before closing her eyes and concentrating.

“I call on thee, elements four,

Draw power from deep in the core.

Water’s ebb and slowly drain,

Forge a bond among the brain.

Slowly drip and slowly creep,

Pierce the skin and pierce it deep.

Tap and pump, draft and bleed,

Take the magic that we need.”

Pressing her hands over the bones on Betty’s back, Prudence began to repeat a mantra over and over again, the cartilage wriggling like gangly, lanky spider legs, the bones of the spine lifting up with audible cracks before seizing downward and probing through Betty’s skin, breaking the top layer and pressing through to the muscles. Betty screamed out in agony as each of the twenty-six bones began to dig their way through her, every second scraping away another layer of skin. Hiram’s eyes were aglow with excitement and Gladys’ were pressed tightly closed. Many of the other pack members had left the room, abhorred by the scene before them.

Prudence’s chanting began to falter, her words breaking and stalling as her body trembled from the struggle of the endeavor before her. She summoned up one giant yell, attempting to push through, but it was no use. Quickly and completely, her body sagged and the world blurred as she lost her footing and hit the floor, the bones popping back out as qulykly as they had begun to enter and lying limp on Betty’s back.

“No!” Hiram bellowed. “Again!”

“She’s exhausted,” Gladys warned him. “What if she makes a mistake and this artifact breaks. What then? It’s not like you can go buy a replacement at Walmart, Lodge. Give them till morning.”

Kicking the table leg, Hiram stormed from the room, leaving Prudence to be cared for by some of the wolves who remained behind. Gladys gathered Betty, who had mercifully blacked out, and signaled for Bret to lift her gently. He carried her to her room and lay her down before being dismissed. Taking a moment to collect herself in the bathroom, Gladys returned with a washcloth and tended the wounds on Betty’s back. If she were honest with herself, she wasn’t really sure why she even bothered.

“He’ll kill you too, you know,” Betty’s soft, weak voice peeped minutes later. “He has no soul and you’re just as much a pawn as I am. Hiram Lodge only serves Hiram Lodge. You’ll die before he gives you power. Do one good thing in your life and save your grandchild.

Gladys looked down at Betty’s calm, somber features and tossed the washcloth on top of the bed before stomping her way over to the bedroom door.

“Clean your own damn wounds, doll, or don’t. I couldn’t care less if you make it or not.”

  
  


**Serpents**

When the sun began to slip behind the horizon they absconded into the night; some in wolf form, some with bows, others with battle axes and shotguns. A fae guard flew over the cover of the trees, keeping a lookout from high above the forest. They moved slowly and stealthily, Alice hanging towards the back with Jughead, practicing the few tricks she and Aurelia had been teaching him. His connection to Betty grew as they got closer and he reached out to her as they approached the territory line.

_ “Betty, I know they hurt you and I know they’ve been putting a great strain on your body. Just hold on a bit longer, we’re on our way. I love you so, so much.” _

_ “Jug? Oh, thank God you’re alright. I’ve been trying to reach you…” _

_ “I’ll explain it all later, Betts,”  _ he promised. 

_ “Juggie, please don’t come here. You have no idea… they will make me hurt you… hurt everyone. Plus the witches have the place warded. Getting in past the witches' defenses won’t be simple.” _

_ “We’re coming for you, Betty. There is no turning back. Not for me.” _

_ “I love you, Jug, but there’s a barrier in front of the packhouse with a veritable army. I’m not worth that much. People will die.” _

_ “You’re worth everything, Betty. Sit tight, we’ll be there soon and have our own secret weapons. In a few hours, this will all be over and we’re going to curl up in bed, your head on my chest, and I’m never letting you go again. That’s a promise.” _

He broke the connection and whistled to halt the pack. When they had all stopped and gathered, Jughead explained what he had learned. “They have the house warded with magic from the witches.”

“A domum cincinno spell, no doubt,” Zelda shared. “We can work with that. Since we know early we can begin the spells to weaken its virility, but with only four of us, it will take longer. If you attack the barrier as well, it will weaken the witches more quickly.”

“Get started then,” FP said, wiping quickly at his nose before looking around at the pack. “Now is the time to retreat if anyone here wants to head back. This is a dangerous mission and it’s likely that we will not all survive. No one will judge you if you choose to return home.”

When no one budged, FP grinned. “It’s an honor to fight with you and call you all family. Now, let’s go get our people and bring them home.”

The Serpents resumed their slow March and FP fell back to keep pace with Alice. “Don’t die on me, all right?” she said, teasingly but with a serious edge lacing her tone.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Alinia,” he grinned, cheekily, using her fae given name. “We’ve got big plans ahead of us.”

A sharp intake of breath caused them to turn their heads as they found Penelope, on her knees, hand pressed to her lips over what appeared to be a body.

“J- Jason?” she whispered, her trembling hand gripping his shoulders. “Baby is that you? Jason, wake up! Please!”

“Quiet her down!” FP spat as Hermione rushed to her side, pressing her fingers to his neck. “There’s a pulse! Very weak, but it’s there.” She glanced hopefully back at FP and he nodded. 

“Get him home and take Penelope. She’ll be no use to us here now.”

Moonlight filtered in more quickly as they reached the edge of the trees. The wolves hung back, allowing the witches to begin their incantations and the fae guard to scan the property from an aerial view. The grounds remained silent, too silent for the Serpents liking as they stood in waiting, mates clinging to mates, Cheryl and Toni pulling Jughead between them to grip his hands and calm his nerves.

Joining hands in a ring, Hilda, Zelda, Sabrina, and Ambrose began to chant, the leaves kicking up and swirling as if carried by an invisible ring around them.

_ “Pociqui coberer, pubinonre, iiuloli haecest, recunarius. _

_ Pociqui coberer, pubinonre, iiuloli haecest, recunarius. _

_ Pociqui coberer, pubinonre, iiuloli haecest, recunarius.” _

The air in the woods became heavy, weighted by anticipation and adrenaline, with a healthy dose of fear. They’d be fools not to be afraid of what was to come.

A few minutes into their incantation, Zelda nodded over to FP and he lifted his arm, hand clenched into a fist, and signaled the Serpents on. They stepped to the edge of the trees and glanced over the clearing, the forest continuing another two hundred feet in front of them. The massive castle that was Stonewall stood before them and was completely unguarded, though they had to be aware of their presence by now.

A twinkle from afar caught their eyes as one of the aerial fae guards signaled from the other side of the forest. They had company. 

“Why haven’t they attacked yet?” Veronica demanded. Warfare was not her biggest strength.

“They want us out in the open,” FP spoke softly. “They think they have the advantage here.”

Aurelia scoffed and strode up next to her daughter’s mate. “They don’t know you have us.” Clearing her throat, Aurelia pursed her lips into a whistle and sounded a bird call, soft, sweet, and very inconspicuous. At her tweet, the fae army rose up through the tree line and high into the skies, their armor glittering in the sunlight. Alice grinned at FP smugly before taking to the skies herself.

Sized like cannonballs but moving like bullets, they clashed across the field hands raised as if in praise. As they reached the edge of the trees, fire began to rain down from the sky, like meteors falling to earth, blasting great, crater-sized holes into the treeline below.

Shouts and screams thundered from the woods as wolves and witches ran from their cover, some scorched and blackened, others still aflame, slowly charring.

“Now!” FP howled. “While they are in shock! Go!”

Archie and Sweet Pea shifted at once, leading the charge across the grass as Toni and Cheryl surged behind them, battle-axe and bow in hand and at the ready. Chuck glanced over at his father and offered him a quick, tight hug before shifting and charging off as well. A second wave of the pack began to attack the invisible wall as the witches still chanted, banging and chopping away at the barrier and weakening its hold.

As the chaos began, Alice settled back down next to her mother and Jughead. They had hung back and out of sight, waiting for an entry point to appear into the packhouse.

…..

“Up!” Malachi’s voice yelled harshly into her ear, jarring Betty from her rest. “Up now! Let’s go, blondie!” 

Betty, jostled from where she lay, startled at the sound as she felt rough hands yanking her from beneath the blankets. “Please. Please don’t do this. Gladys...”

“Forget Gladys,” Malachi spat. “We’re under attack and we need your power. Hiram is waiting.”

Betty started, jerking her head backward for a moment. “J- Jughead,” she stammered, realizing their pack had arrived. When he said they were coming she didn’t expect it to be immediately. Her stomach had been churning since he had connected with her earlier and her hands shook now, the hands that may end the lives of some of her own by Hiram’s will. 

“Now, blondie,” Malachi said, agitated. “The faster we barbeque your mate, the faster you become mine.”

Malachi gripped Betty’s wrist tightly and pulled her down the hall, not even allowing her to put on shoes, her bare feet cold against the stone floors. When they reached the main hall, wolves were frantic, setting up medical bays, sharpening weapons, and discussing plans.

“The forcefield is breaking!” Gladys called from the front of the room. “As soon as it’s down they will attack. We need to keep them from getting into this building. Do what you need to in order to crush their skulls.”

She held up a shot glass filled with red liquid and slowly moved it from the left to the right, covering the whole room in a toast. “To death,” she said darkly, before tossing the alcohol back.

“To death!” the wolves chorused back, making their way to the front doors.

Gladys tossed the shot glass in her hand, allowing the glass to break on the floor behind her as she stepped forward and joined Malachi, and also Hiram, near Betty’s side.

“You ready, doll,” Gladys sneered, grinning maniacally at Betty. “I told you my plans for your family. Now it’s time to flay some fae.”

“You can’t-” Betty began, anger bubbling up from deep in her chest.

“Oh, but we can,” Hiram grinned. “Now listen, Betty. Here’s what I need you to do…”

…..

“What was that?” Polly gasped as a huge, crashing boom sounded from outside the dungeon walls.

“It must be time,” JB breathed out excitedly.

“Time for what?” came Polly’s nervous reply.

JB just grinned, the sly smile slowly spreading across her lips as she gripped at the bars of their cell. “Time to show them what you can do.”

…..

Outside the battle was in full swing. The witches had taken on the fae as the wolves clashed against one another, running and colliding in their open pasture. Hilda, Zelda, and Sabrina found themselves face to face with Agatha and Dorcas, as the fae rained down terror from the sky and ground.

“Agatha!” Zelda yelled. “This is insanity. A death sentence. The witches can’t beat the fae when their magic comes so quickly and ours requires more spells. We’re killing our own and for what? For mongrels?”

Hilda held up a suggestive finger at Zelda, garnering her attention. “I used a sleeping spell, you know. We don’t need reanimated corpses making their way across the battlefield and it’s dreadful bad luck to kill someone on a Tuesday…”

Zelda’s face turned grapefruit and then eggplant. “Hilda, I swear one of these days I’m going to cast a spell and seal your lips shut!”

Hilda looked taken aback for a moment before furrowing her brow in concern. “Zelda, you know I’m a big-time mouth breather. I’d suffocate in my sleep.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Zelda groaned, returning her attention to Agatha and her sister. “Look around girls. You have your whole lives ahead of you and you owe nothing to Hiram Lodge. One, or both of you, will die here. Gather the students and leave now.”

Agatha and Dorcas exchanged worried looks with each other as they glanced around the fight. Bodies lay in the grass, some still aflame. A witch ran by them, an entire hive of bees buzzing around his head, stinging him repeatedly until he fell, twitching, until he lay limp and still.”

Agatha would never admit Zelda was right, so instead, she seized her sister’s arm and began to gather other witches, pulling wounded back into the trees and out of danger. 

With most of the witches dead, injured, or retreating, the fae focused their efforts on the fortress wall, bombarding it with large boulders and blasts of light until, with a glimmering light, a tear formed in the sky out of nowhere, and the barrier fell. More Stonewall wolves sprang from the building and into the field.

Dilton had run off, claiming he had an advanced pyrotechnic plan up his sleeve, leaving Ethel behind on her own. As a fighter, she was a liability and Dilton had begged her to stay home, but Ethel had refused. She wouldn’t let anyone say she wasn’t a part of this or that she left Betty behind. She already felt like an outsider at times as it was. She stood still in the center of the field, having just shifted back to her human body when the sandy-colored wolf saw her. He began to charge, large paws bounding forward, at Ethel’s back as she stood unaware.

From a few feet away, Fangs turned to watch the attack in slow motion, taking off as fast as he could as Kevin’s eyes caught sight of it as well. Fang’s bolted, his paws digging up grass and soil, and with a bone-crunching crack he knocked Ethel away, Bret’s jaws cutting clear through his neck.

“Fangs!” Kevin screamed out in disbelief. “Fangs!” Kevin took off towards his mate, plowing through the field, rage boiling over as the sandy wolf stood snarling, awaiting the attack. He towered over Kevin's wolf and was looking forward to another kill on his list. With ten feet between them, Bret reared up, poised to leap, but found himself tethered to the ground in insurmountable pain. Turning, he found himself staked to the ground by his tail, Toni’s spear straight through it as she twisted the blade for good measure.

“This is for Fang’s you piece of trash,” she spat as Kevin’s wolf slammed him from the front, Bret unable to even turn quick enough to see his attacker before Kevin treated Bret to the same fate. When Bret lay done, blood pooling before him, Kevin shifted and sank to his knees by his mate. “No…” he murmured, shaking his head as his body began to tremble. 

More wolves spilled from Stonewall and Toni dragged him to his feet. “You have to go, Kevin.”

“I can’t leave him, Toni,” Kevin cried. “They’ll trample him!”

“And if you let your guard down now and do this they will trample you!” she warned. “Fangs is dead, Kevin and there’s nothing he’d like less than for you to join him!”

Toni’s ice-cold glare turned to Ethel next. “And you…” she growled. “Go home, Ethel. You’re shaking and are going to get yourself killed.”

Screams sounded from the other side of the packhouse and Toni and Kevin took off, leaving a whimpering, Ethel behind on her own as they made their way to the other side.

  
  


At the opening to the doorway stood Betty, hands raised and cheeks wet with tears, Gladys behind her back.

“The only way to fight fire is with fire!” Gladys yelled, shoving Betty forward a step and urging her on. She knew if she resisted that Jughead would be weakened and she couldn’t do that to him on a battlefield, he needed a fighting chance and in the end, she’d lose anyway. Shaking her head she yelled, “I’m sorry! Thu... Thui- naur, tul- gurth.”

Alice paled and turned to Jughead. “What?” he asked. “What did she say?”

“Breathe fire, bring death.”

The Stonewall wolves seemed to stand taller as they dropped their jaws and their nostrils smoked, flames seeping from between their lips and blasting out at the enemies they fought, a few fae falling from the skies as they tried to avoid the line of fire.

“We need a new plan,” Jughead said frustrated. “There’s no way we get past those wolves and witches in front of the gates without getting burned alive at this point.”

Aurelia tilted her head to the side. “I think I can help with that.”

“As will I,” commanded Sierra’s voice from their side. “I want to take as many out as I can.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Aurelia scoffed. “You have no powers. You’ll be killed at once.”

“She’s right, Sierra,” Jughead agreed. “You can’t just waltz out there and take them on. You’ll wind up dead.”

Sierra hardened her jaw while managing to somehow look at Jughead, then Alice softly. “I’m already dead. Jughead, there will come a day, and I hope it’s far in your future, when you or Betty will leave the other just as Myles has left me. Then, and only then, will you be able to look back on this moment and understand what I did and why. Only then will you be able to truly comprehend the depth of my loss. I’m alive, but living without him just isn’t the same. If I can help defeat those bastards, then it will be worth it. For Myles.”

Jughead studied her softly as Alice pulled her in for a tight hug, nodding in understanding. “Don’t make it too naughty of a reunion,” she teased through her tears. “We can’t have you getting kicked out of heaven on day one.”

Sierra giggled against Alice’s shoulders before pulling back and sniffling. 

“You can’t be serious!” Jughead scoffed. “I can’t let you do this.”

“She was always going to do this, Jug,” Alice explained lightly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Sierra had no intention of coming home.”

When he turned to ask if it was true, he found her gone. She had already shifted and ran off in the direction of the wolves, snarling savagely and baring her teeth. Hot on her heels they took off after her, shooting flames her way as she dodged them all. Up ahead she saw Dilton, crouched and waiting and he sent her a quick thumbs-up, expecting her to pull back, but she continued on, leading the wolves through the grass, her paws tugging on a carefully arranged wire before the whole center of the field blasted open, consuming Sierra and all of the Stonewall’s foes as well.

Alice turned to look away as Jughead stared on in shock and awe, before shaking the surprise off quickly. “Now’s our window. We can’t let her sacrifice be in vain. Aurelia, clear the rest of the path.”

“With pleasure,” Aurelia smiled. “I hate witches and I can’t wait to take them out.”

Aurelia turned and with a whisper and a wink, encased herself in a protective bubble, malleable and transparent, but impenetrable as a tank. Bouncing her way towards the gates she smiled in complete and utter delight before her voice twinkled out a command.

“Erapné i vinüs, gal- i lilui, belth- i weedío!”

Large roots shot you from the ground, wrapping around the witches’ legs before cracking at their bones and yanking them waist-deep into the soil, tiny leaves and sprouts growing around their heads as their faces sprouted petals and were covered completely.

“Ugh, marigolds and hyacinths,” Aurelia sighed. “Every time it’s the same thing. I hate marigolds and hyacinths. Oh well,” she shrugged, pressing her fingers forward and watching as their roots tugged once more and the witches were pulled completely underground, only a smattering of petals left behind.

“Much better,” Aurelia smiled. “An idea you garden is far worse than no garden at all.”

With her protection gone and Hiram not within sight to give orders, Gladys panicked, signaling for Malachi to come closer. She backed her way into the packhouse as he wrapped his arm around Betty’s throat, Betty unable to fight since she was bound from harming any of their pack.

“Come any closer and I’ll snap her neck,” Malachi sneered, his mouth too close to Betty’s face for a Jughead’s liking. “She’s been promised as my mate now, Jones! I bet I can make her scream, too. Want to see?”

As Malachi began to inch his hand lower, Betty grimaced and closed her eyes, opening them quickly as his hand shot back and his grip loosened. She glanced up over her shoulder to find his mouth hanging open, an arrow sticking out from his forehead pierced straight through the toe of a high-heeled shoe that hung on its tip.

“That’s called poetic justice, asshat!” Veronica yelled as she and Cheryl high-fived, running towards the battle. Jughead and Alice moved towards the gate.

“Betty!” Hiram’s voice called from behind her. Unable to decline his wishes, Betty’s limbs turned her and she found herself treading towards him. Hiram began to open his mouth to provide a new command when Jughead barreled into him, propelling both of them through the stone archway and into the foyer of the packhouse. As they crashed up against a table and separated from each other, Hiram quickly rolled to the side and propelled himself upward with an arch of his back.

“Betty!” he yelled. “Control your mate!”

As the words left his lips he became aware of Alice’s presence to his left. Confident that Betty would deal with Jughead, he turned to confront her instead. “Ah, Alice,” he said cooly. “Thank you for making it easy for me. You’ve delivered yourself right into my living room.”

“Nothing about this will be easy for you, Hiram. You can be goddamned sure of that,” Alice spat through her clenched teeth. For a singular moment, Hiram’s bravado went transparent but just as quickly went opaque and he tightened his jaw once more. Then, without another hesitation, he shifted into wolf form hoping to use size to his advantage. Alice upturned her lip, excited for the challenge. He sprung forward at her as she rose off the ground, hovering above him as he crashed into the rows of chairs still lined up from the last pack meeting, sending them scattering through the room. Alice lowered herself quickly and stretched out her palms.

“Min ed-,” she uttered assuredly.

As his body transformed into human form, starting at the bridge of his nose and down his center, Hiram’s skin began to separate evenly, following the line of symmetry down his body, exposing muscle and tissue as blood began to seep from the tears. As quickly as it began, it sealed up once more, sewed back with an invisible needle and thread before it began to separate again.

Hiram’s body writhed against the floor, unable to move from the sheer agony of the process. Alice’s toes touched down on the floor and she stood over him, a scornful glare emanating from her eyes. “As long as I stand, this continues,” she sneered. “It continues until you die of shock or starvation. I hope it’s starvation, but you’re a lucky cockroach and shock will probably come first, but not until we unbind my Betty.”

With the others occupied, Alice didn’t notice the figure skulking along the walls behind her. Arms raised with a blunt axe in hand, Gladys snuck around quietly, poised to attack. 

“I don’t think so, bitch,” came a cold voice from across the room, opening Alice’s eyes to her foe just in time to see her blasted across the room as Polly conjured bolts of lightning from her fingertips.

“Polly!” Alice gasped, crossing the room and embracing her, Polly’s tears dripping into her hair as she hugged her back tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Polly cried, regretfully. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” Alice cooed, softly. “I know you are.”

JB had taken the initiative of securing Gladys, binding her wrists and ankles tightly with electrical tape she had snagged from the storeroom. 

“JB?” Gladys said weakly. “Baby, help mommy out. We can still get out of this, just the two of. We can go to Reno or Tucson, start fresh somewhere warm.”

JB glared down at her mother mercilessly, in complete disbelief in Gladys’ gall. “The only hot place you’re headed is Hell, Mom. Exactly where you belong.” With long strides across the floor, JB ran to Alice, profuse apologies slipping from her lips as well.

Alice refused to hear any more as she calmed JB’s nerves. “You did good, JB,” she promised. “It’s going to be okay now.”

Smashing and splintering glass and wood had them running back towards the main hall where Betty and Jughead stood in a stand-off.

“Run, Jughead!” Betty screamed, her palms trembling as her exhausted body tried to fight off the commands from earlier. Tiny shocks jumped from her fingertips, little drips of magic shaking loose and creating sticky spider webs around the room, raising their pointed edges and walking their way towards Jughead like ambling spiders to ensnare him.

“Dant- firn,” Alice whispered, the webs falling flat and sticking to the floor like old, spilled syrup.

When her body could contain it no longer, Betty heaved a long, pained shout as the energy burst from within her in hat could only be described as a powerful sunbeam, the edges tipped with flying, chiseled crystals with a sharpness to easily impale any victim just and Jughead decided he had worn her down enough.

“Sipîn i thúl,” he recited as he and Alice had practiced many times before, wind picking up from below his feet and sending the crystals spiraling into the walls, busting through the stone blocks and cracking at the foundation as the entire building shook and quaked.

The wind continued to spin, forming a vortex around them both. Furniture, knickknacks, and anything else around them swirled into its grasp.

“Blung sarn plural serni,” Alice called, weighing herself, JB, Hiram, and Polly to the floor. As much as she wished to finally stop his pulse, if Hiram died before they unbound her, so did Betty.

With the whirlwind swirling, Betty and Jughead were both pulled toward the middle, their palms almost touching as they both fought to remain standing as the air was sucked from their lungs.

“Just let go, Jug,” Betty tried to scream, gasping for air. “Kill Hiram and end this. Don’t risk them winning!”

“Never,” Jughead shouted back, determined. “I’m not leaving here without you, Betty. Either we both survive or neither of us does! That’s all I’ll accept!”

The air had become even thinner and their toes barely touched the ground as they were dragged forward, their fingers finally skimming one another’s as they could no longer speak, their lungs protesting as things began to blur around them. Their eyes met and, while too weak to converse through their soul link, the emotion in their eyes conveyed volumes to one another. When the vortex reached the ceiling, their palms finally met, just as their brains began to fog, and as quickly as it began the swirling air ceased and the mates collapsed to the floor in a slumping heap.

Unanchoring herself, Alice ran from the hall and called for Hilda and Zelda, whomever was closest and could administer the spell. Sabrina answered her call.

“My aunties are locked in a particularly exciting duel with two she-wolves,” Sabrina said breathlessly. “But I can cast the incantation.”

“Quickly!” Alice cried nervously, crouching by Betty’s side and prying open her hand as Jughead began to stir.

“Can you do this?” Alice asked him, pinning Betty’s hand to the floor. 

Pulling his sore, battered body from the floor, Jughead groaned and rubbed at his throbbing head. “I’ll do it because I have no choice.”

“Polly,” Alice called to her daughter. “Secure her other shoulder. She may revive enough to fight this.”

Nodding to Sabrina once she was sure Betty was pinned tightly, the witch began her casting.

“Light as ‘morn and dark as night, blood on blood began the fight. Strung no more, free as day, cut the ties that bind this fae.”

The moment the last syllable left her lips, Jughead’s knife began to pierce Betty’s hand, carving in a symbol identical to the one on her other palm, but inverted. Betty began to stir at the first prick of the knife and push at her captors, eyes wide in fear and pain. With a long, harrowed scream, her back arched up from the floor before she passed out completely, the symbol all but carved and glowing as it sealed over, her ties with Hiram permanently severed.

The moment it was done Alice spring from the floor and stalked over to his body, still slowly peeling apart at the seams, and in a fit of anger and loathing sealed the final nail in his coffin.

“I know I said I’d wait, but I want to watch the life leave your eyes. What you’ve done is unforgivable.

“Tú gebir, dár i dring-“ she cried, watching on as his muscles began to permeate his skin, the flesh torn away in an instant before her eyes and the contents of his body washed out along the floor like the contents of a popped water balloon. “Even this was too merciful.”

With his knife in hand, Jughead cut into his shoulder, leaning over Betty and pressing it against her lips, knowing she was too weak to do it on her own.

“C’mon Betts,” he begged her, letting himself drop onto her lips. “Come back to me now.”

Meekly she began to lick at the crimson drops, drinking slowly and still prone.

“Why isn’t she getting up?” Jughead cried out to Alice, worriedly.

“Her body is  _ very _ weak, Jughead,” Alice explained. “You have no idea. We need to get her home for Hermione to monitor. Your blood will help her heal. Get her there quickly. I’m going to get FP so we can deal with Gladys.”

At the mention of her name, Gladys lifted her head from the floor and smirked. “And so in the end, the devils win.”

“Devils? Us?” Jughead said in disbelief as he lifted Betty into his arms. “You’re supposed to be my mother and look at what you’ve done. You almost took the only thing that matters to me away, for what? Revenge against my dead grandfather? Don’t you have  _ any  _ shred of affection for me or JB for that matter?”

“I have a shred of  _ affliction  _ for you both. All you ever were was pain and suffering. I bore you, but I’ve no love for the Jones blood in your veins.”

With a sad smirk, Jughead offered a single huff of laughter before turning his back on his mother for the last time and rushing Betty for medical attention.

A badgered, bloodied FP staggered into the hall and Alice rushed to his side, one palm to his cheek as her other assessed his injuries.

“I’m okay, Ally,” he promised her softly. 

“Hiram is done,” she said relieved. “We need to deal with Gladys.”

FP ran a hand through his hair and turned his attention to ex-mate on the floor, her cold, hard stare reminding him of her icy personality back when they were together.

“Gladys,” he said, mirthlessly. “What… what the hell were you thinking? Was I  _ that  _ awful to you that you were willing to kill me? And Jughead? Your own son…”

“You were never bad to me, FP,” Gladys shrugged. “I just hate what you stood for. Make no mistake that the evil in your father’s veins runs through yours too, and in our son.”

FP shook his head and chortled at that, biting at his lip. “That’s where you’re wrong. Jughead is exceptional, as is his mate. They don’t tolerate injustice. They fight for the underdog. And you- you’ll never get a chance to know him, or JB for that matter.”

“JB?” Gladys laughed. “She was a veritable  _ mole _ , you poor excuse of an Alpha. Are you truly defending her now?”

Looking over to where JB stood, hanging her head in shame, FP spoke. “I am. JB made a mistake, mostly born out of fear borne from the years of abuse you put her through. But she tried to redeem herself and that alone means she deserves a second chance.”

JB’s misty eyes shot up to her father’s and she crossed her arms along her chest in a solo-hug, something she became proficient in all her years alone.

“Do you really mean that?” she pressed, tearfully. “You- you’ll have me back?”

“For as long as you’d like,” he smiled.

“Does that mean I’m forgiven as well?” Gladys rejoined. “Second chances and all…”

“Over my dead body,” FP laughed. “Ally?”

  
  


“Tul- a gal- flamáre a naur,” she sang as Gladys’ body burst into flames, the blue heat cinderring her into ash within moments. They all stood silently for a moment in their exhaustion, the emotional toll of the last few days setting in before FP spoke.

“Come on. Let’s head out. There’s injured to help and dead to collect. It’s time to go home.”

**Serpent Infirmary**

Beds were packed tightly as the wounded were brought in, but a quiet, private room in the back housed the future Lumina and Alpha. Betty lay still asleep in the hospital bed, hooked up to monitors, fluids, and oxygen and Jughead bypassed the chair in the corner, climbing into the.. If anyone had dared refuse him the closeness, he was prepared to argue that proximity would only help her grow stronger which was true, but he also knew he’d never let her out of his arms again.

The showdown between them had been the hardest thing he had ever done. Watching her fight her orders and combat to control her own body, all the while wrestling with him was emotionally and physically draining. He was happy to have her back in his arms, even if it was in a hospital bed. Playing with a strand of her hair, he watched the steady numbers of her heart rate and blood pressure remain consistent on the screen, grateful for that much at least.

A twitch of fingers and a soft, tired sigh drew his eyes from the monitor screen.

“Jug?” Betty said weakly. “We’re alive?”

“We’re alive, Betts. You fought hard. You did so good,” he smiled.

Betty sat up at once and gripped at her head as the room spun a bit, seeming to finally realize the finality of it all. “You’re here,” she sighed happily. “You’re really here and you're alive. I saw them- Oh God, Jug. I saw Hiram kill you…”

“But you saved me,” Jughead whispered softly, gripping her hands in his own and pressing a kiss to the top. “You saved me.”

In a complete release, Betty began to weep quietly, her arms falling limp against his chest. “Why did you come for me? You could have been killed, or worse. Polly and I accepted our fates.”

“No Serpent left behind,” Jughead stated. “At least that’s why we came for Polly and Jason.”

“Jason,” Betty repeated sadly. “I- it’s my fault he’s dead. They made me-”

“He’s alive, Betts,” Jughead said quickly, seeing the anguish in her eyes. “He said that whatever you did after he had stopped breathing revived him. You beat Hiram.”

Betty chuckled out a sob and leaned into him completely, happy that at least one victory came from the whole ordeal.

“You said Serpent Law was why you came for Polly and Jason, but not me?”

Jughead shook his head and tucked Betty’s hair behind her ear, tracing the features of her face as if he’d never seen them before or would never again.

“I can’t live without you,” Jughead said honestly. “It hurt too much. Myles, we lost him, Betts and you can’t even imagine the catatonic state Sierra was in for days. She died then, too.”

“Oh God,” Betty murmured, her heart breaking all over again. “Sierra…”

“Is gone,” he explained, filling in the blanks for her. “She sacrificed herself. She knew she couldn’t exist without Myles. It’s the same for me. Without you, my life wasn’t worth fighting for. You are what’s worth fighting for. You are everything to me.”

Hermione chose then to enter the room, placing some water and pills down on the tray next to the bed.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she greeted, relieved to see her patient up. “How do you feel?”

“Nauseous and like my head might explode, but alive,” Betty returned, looking curiously up at Hermione, who nodded and smiled affirmatively at her.

“Did you-”

“No,” Hermione said quickly, realizing what Betty was getting at. “Everyone is all right though.”

While Jughead found the exchange odd, he was too exhausted to question them at the moment.

“Those pills are to help you sleep, Betty,” Hermione explained. “They won’t damage anything, but your body needs uninterrupted time to heal and repair. I really recommend you take them and get the rest you need at this time.”

Before Betty could even think, Jughead was pouring a glass of water and grabbing her medication for her, plopping the two pills into her hands as Betty smiled gracefully. Tossing back the pills, she took a few large sips of water before settling back against her mate’s chest.

“I’ll come back in a few hours and we can go over things,” Hermione offered. “I’ll give you two some time to talk and get some rest.”

“How? How did we win, Jug?” Betty asked, surprised, as soon as the room was clear. “With the witches they had, a victory for us should have been impossible.” As if a light went on in her head, she shot back up and stared at him. “And you fae magicked me! How? How was that even possible?”

Chuckling, Jughead leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead, pulling back just enough to duck his head down and examine her eyes.

“It’s honestly a long story that involves me going to the fae realm with your mother, bringing back your grandmother’s army, and sharing your fae magic since our souls are linked. It may be best saved for when you aren’t drifting off to sleep.”

“Grandmother and the fae realm?” she asked sleepily. I can’t believe you went to the fae realm for me.”

“Don’t you know I’d do anything for you,Betty Cooper? I’d cross realms and end worlds for you.”

Betty tugged on his collar and pulled him in for a chaste kiss. “Let’s not cause any endings, Jug. We’ve had enough destruction in our world already.”

Wiggling his nose against hers sweetly, he bobbed his head in agreement. “Deal. How about we just create one instead. Our own little world.”

“We already did,” Betty said nervously, but also with an excited edge to her tone as her eyes shone with dampness. She took his hand and pressed it to her abdomen, holding it tight against her belly. “We already did.”

“Betty?” he asked, looking from where their hands rested and up to her face slowly, shock and awe adorning his usual calm facade. “Do you mean…? Are you…?”

“Pregnant?” she finished for him. “I am. We are. I didn’t get to tell you before…”

“That’s what I felt!” he chuckled in complete exuberance. “Something felt different, off, while we were away and now it all makes sense!”

Betty couldn’t help but chuckle along with him though she had no idea what he was referring to and the medicine kicking in was quickly diminishing her thoughts and reflexes.

“Are you happy?” she asked as she settled into his side and he pulled them both back to lay against the slightly elevated mattress.

“Of course,” he replied, soothingly. “You know I wanted this. The question is, are you?”

The pause in her response didn’t worry him as he felt her breathing begin to slow and her head weigh heavily against his chest. “Unspeakably,” she slurred into his flannel.

Jughead kissed the crown of her head and wrapped an arm tighter around her, anchoring her to his chest. “Sleep, Betts. You need it so you can heal and for our little sprout.”

No reply came as Betty’s breathing evened out and her eyes slid closed tightly, Jughead was never happier to be back home, holding what he considered his entire universe, which now included their baby. Though exhausted, he remained awake, holding and protecting his mate and the little wolf pup their love had made.

  
  


**Serpent Pack House**

Seven days had passed since the showdown at Stonewall and things were still tense around the packhouse with many questions hanging in the air. The fae were still present, Aurelia demanding to spend time with her granddaughter, Betty, who had just left the hospital three days prior after they were sure there were no long term effects on the baby from the trauma her body suffered.

The cold in the air wasn’t the only drafty feeling among the pack. While FP had tried to return things to status quo, Polly’s return wasn’t exactly welcomed. They had held a service and rites for Myles, Sierra, and Fangs, and there were three other wolves still hospitalized in critical condition. Many members of the pack blamed Polly just as much as they blamed Hiram and Gladys because her actions had given them drive to pursue a pack war.

Then there was the matter of Alice. It had become clear to everyone that she and FP had been in a covert relationship for years, defying pack law in the process. While none of the council cared, many wolves who were angry with Polly pointed out the archaic rule, intending to hurt Polly by driving a wedge between Alice and FP. With the mounting drama, Betty and a Jughead still hadn’t publicly announced their pregnancy, waiting to see what arose at the pack meeting which would be beginning shortly.

In an unprecedented affair, FP had invited the fae to the event, hoping to recognize them for the role they played in defeating Stonewall.

“Are you prepared for this?” Fred asked Jughead as they took their seats on the stage. 

“I am,” he replied, confidently. “If you had asked me the same question a week ago, I may have answered differently. But after everything we’ve been through, I know I am. Will this work?”

Fred simply shrugged and offered Jughead a comforting pat on the shoulder. “It has to.”

Jughead took a seat up front, Betty at his side, facing the crowd as FP stepped forward, raising his arms to signal a start to the pack meeting. Once it was quiet, he lowered his arms and stuffed his hands in his pockets, very aware that tonight could change his entire life.

“I’ll be turning tonight’s meeting over to Fred in a few moments and he will be citing the allegations brought against me by some of you sitting out there in the pack tonight. Just know, I’m not angry and I hold no ill will. I understand your discontentment with me, but I won’t apologize. My time with Alice could never be a mistake or a regret and when you hear the truth I hope you understand that, too.”

“Before I sit, I want to take a moment to welcome our guests and allies tonight. Aurelia and the fae guard, Alice’s family, who in our time of need rose to the challenge and took on our foes. Without their aid, we could not have defeated the witches and Stonewall and for that, we are eternally in your favor. Whether I am still here or not, you should only say the word and the Serpent Pack will be at your side to defend.”

Aurelia rose, followed by her guard, and each of them placed one hand over their chest, in a symbol of their thanks and reciprocation of the sentiment, FP doing the same in return. When the moment passed, the fae sat, and FP bit at his lip, awkwardly turning and gesturing at Fred to take over.

“I’m sorry, FP,” Fred said as he passed him on the way up.

“Hey, don’t be, old friend,” FP smiled. “You’re just doing your job.”

Fred stood at the podium and gazed out over their pack, picking up the paper in front of him before putting it back down and wiping at his lip with his thumb. He knew it was only a small contingency that was out for blood, but he was worried all the same. 

“Before I read the charges I have here, I just want to remind you that FP has been a dedicated friend to you all for many years. He’s led us fairly and encouraged us to find our own happiness. Keep that in mind at tonight’s vote.”

Glancing over at Jughead, Fred quickly looked back down at the podium and took a deep breath.

“FP Jones, you have been charged with violating pack law number thirty-two, stating an Alpha of the Serpent pack must mate with a female wolf of the same pack. How do you plead?”

FP stood and smiled over at Alice. “Guilty,” he muttered. “I’m guilty.”

Fred knew he would be honest, there was no point in lying, so the council had worked up a bargain to present to the pack for a vote. “As you’ve pled guilty, the council has already prepared a suggested punishment for your misdemeanor.”

Fred reached out his hand and signaled FP to join him, clapping him on the shoulder as he did so.

“Friends, the council proposes that we pardon FP for his transgression due to his past commitment to the law. He mated and bore an heir prior to this union, fulfilling his duty to the pack. But as not to let the offense go without punishment, he should begin the abdication process at once, preparing Jughead to take over the pack as soon as possible. These are our terms. We put it to a vote.”

Penelope rose from her seat and turned towards the pack. “All in agreement with the council's decision?”

As she counted the votes, a soft smile played at her lips when she reached the necessary requirement for the vote to pass, Fred sighing in relief.

“The pack has spoken. The offer is accepted. FP Jones will begin the abdication process at once.”

Cheers arse from the crowd, until Josie, seething and distraught over the loss of her parents stood up. “And what about Jughead’s transgressions?” she called out. “And Betty for that matter!? You’re going to mark them as Alpha and Lumina when I heard from many wolves here that their loyalty was challenged in regard to breeding and they somehow hid that behind this whole war. A war caused by Polly Cooper!”

Before Fred could open his mouth to speak, Jughead rose, pulling Betty with him, and settled his father’s councilman down.

“There is nothing to hide,” Jughead said, a small giddy smile appearing on his face. He flushed in awe and happiness like a nine-year-old delivering a Valentine to his best girl friend. Looking down at Betty he nodded and she took a deep breath, dropping her hand to her stomach, as he placed his on top.

“An heir to the pack has been conceived,” Betty spoke, much to the excitement of everyone. “We wanted to wait to announce it until after the memorials and rites were done out of respect for the dead and so not to overshadow their remembrance ceremonies.

Josie dropped her eyes and a small, side smile graced her lips. She waited until the excitement of the pack had dwindled before addressing them again. “Congrats. I just… everything is still a bit raw, you know? But I know mom and dad would be  _ unbelievably  _ elated right now.”

“Alright,” Fred smiled. “It seems as if we only have one more matter of pack business to deal with tonight. A hybrid marriage-mating ceremony.”

FP and much of the pack looked confused as the council rose and opened the curtains that revealed the sliding glass doors that led outside. Opening them carefully, a path, lit by candles, was set, and Hilda, Zelda, and Sabrina stood waiting on a beautifully decorated platform outside.

“What is this?” FP asked Fred, who just shook him off happily.

“Ask your son,” he chuckled as FP turned to Jughead and Betty.

**“** We thought it was time that you and my mom got the ending you deserved,” Betty said, giddy with excitement before grabbing Alice and ushering her outside.

“Did you really do all of this just for us?” Alice asked softly. “Is this even a thing?”

Jughead shrugged and wrapped an arm around Betty’s shoulder, pulling her into his side. “It’s the mating ceremony but without a,bite, since that could be dangerous for you. Instead, there are rings… oh, and we allowed your witchy chosen family to attend.”

Alice looked as though she was about to embrace them when Sweet Pea made his way over excitedly.

“A surprise ceremony!” he grinned. “And Betty is knocked up! What a night! You must have some pretty robust swimmers there, Jones! Oh, Alice, let’s hope FP isn’t the same. Betty’s pup doesn’t need a bestie/auntie if you know what I mean.”

While Betty turned six shades of red, Jughead slapped Sweet Pea on the back of the head and Alice just rolled her eyes. “No, Pea,” she chided. “We are just not going there.”

The ceremony itself was simple and beautiful, much like the one Betty and Jughead partook in themselves. Betty knew that neither Alice nor FP  _ needed _ a ceremony to solidify their love, but this was the pack's way of recognizing them, and the immediate occurrence allowed Aurelia to be present. After, they sat around eating and laughing, a whole family after all those years.

“This is amazing,” Betty gushed. “You guys are married, The fae got to bear witness, and JB and Polly are here with us to celebrate.”

“Speaking of that,” JB said cheekily. “What was Jason asking you before, Polly? He seemed pretty nervous about whatever it was.”

Polly placed down her fork and glanced over at Aurelia who nodded at her slightly before she took a deep breath and spoke. “He was telling me that Penelope reconsidered her stance and that if I still wanted to be with him, he was ready.”

“Polly!” Betty beamed. “That’s amazing!”

“I turned him down,” Polly said quickly before Betty could say more.

“But I don’t understand…” JB mumbled, puzzled. “You-”

“You’re not staying, are you?” Alice asked sadly, letting one corner of her lip drop when Polly shook her head from side to side.

“Pol!” Betty said fiercely. “You must-”

“I must what Betty? I must stay here in a pack that hates me? Stay here when I can’t shift? Stay here when I’m indirectly responsible for the death of some of our most beloved brethren? I can’t. There’s nothing here for me.”

The table was silent and Jughead gripped Betty’s fingers under the table, sending soothing thoughts her way.

“Where will you go?” Betty asked quietly after a few moments.

Aurelia stood and signaled for Polly to do the same. “She’ll come with me,” she explained. “I was quite taken by your pack concept of redemption. We don’t often offer that where I hail from. I’m trying something new and Polly showed courage when she came to our aide at Stonewall. Her place is in the fae world. It is her birthright to be a part of our world, as it is yours if you ever find you need to seek refuge away from here. You are  _ always  _ welcome to visit us there. We should go now while the portals will be visible easily.”

With tearful hugs and renewed echoes of thanks, the wolves bid the fae goodbye, Polly the last one to leave the clearing of trees, looking back at her family one last time.

“I already miss her,” Betty whispered into Jughead's shirt collar as he pulled her close, pushing her grief aside having grieved enough that week. “But at least I have you now, JB.”

Betty pulled back from her mate’s embrace and found JB standing nearby. “I’m not sure if I’m as cool as a half-fairy sister, but I’ll do my best,” JB teased.

“It’s  _ fae _ , little gray wolf,” Sweet Pea teased as he came up from behind her. “They prefer fae.”

“Oh, and what makes you an expert? You got any magic in that hulking, awkward body of yours? Because I haven’t seen you flitting about the skies around here,” JB bantered back.

Sweet Pea stared back at her, jaw aghast, amazed she would talk back to him as such. “Me? I’m just your brother’s future war chief here and the guy who actually went to the fae realm, so yeah, I’m an expert.”

JB stared at him for a moment and shrugged before beginning to walk away. “Not buying it.”

“Why do you…” Sweet Pea called out, following her retreating form. “Hey! Hey, wait!”

They all laughed knowingly as they continued to bicker until they could no longer be heard, FP just shaking his head in defeat. “And on that note, I think it’s time I get my bride home. I’d stay off our floor for the next day or so,” he added, winking at Betty and Jughead as Alice stared at him i exasperation.

“Oh, gross,” Betty gagged and Jughead suddenly found a patch of grass to examine on the ground.

“Now you know how I feel… all the time,” Alice laughed, linking arms with her new mate. “Get some rest, Betty. Don’t stay up too late.”

When it was just the two of them left, they watched their friends smile and celebrate in the field, Archie standing on a picnic table beating his chest as Veronica sat below him, giggling. Cheryl and Toni curled up on a bench off to the side, quietly whispering, as Jughead wrapped his arms around Betty from behind.

“Happy?” he asked her, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her head.

Betty chose not to answer but instead allowed herself to channel as much love and warmth as she could into him, allowing him to feel how completely overjoyed she felt right then. Her family was safe and about to grow. What more could Betty ask for?

  
  
  


**Five Months Later**

**Solomon’s Grotto**

It was cold. Far too chilly to be put in the middle of a meadow, the end of March wind still whipping itself like a whip and licking at their skin as winter refused to vacate the air. They braved the cold anyway, blankets in hand, as their wolf-blood elevated their body temperatures just enough to make the cold bearable.

Betty lay back on the blanket, her head against his chest and his knees on either side of her as he braced her body from behind. With a mere ten weeks to go, Betty ffoundthat laying on her back for extended periods of time left her quite uncomfortable. “Juggie are we going to get in trouble for this?” 

Jughead shrugged but grinned mischievously. He knew by now that Archie and Toni would be out looking for them. “You are… very pregnant and everyone is annoying you. Plus, I’m about to be Alpha in two hours and you’re about to be Lumina. I’d say we can’t get in trouble for skipping the beautification process they had in store.”

“They’d need a glam team with more than even fae magic to beautify me right now,” Betty groaned, rubbing at her belly. “And seriously, black leather on a pregnant woman? Whoever made this initiation ceremony was never introduced to concealing, forgiving fabrics.”

Tipping her jaw up toward his face, Jughead leaned down and kissed her quickly, adding a few more for good measure. “I think you look hot.”

Betty stared at him and quirked an eyebrow, feeling that the sentiment he put forth was true based on the thoughts he was projecting her way. “Is there ever a time where you aren’t thinking about undressing me?” 

“Breakfast time, usually,” he teased. “I’m usually still tired from our morning romp and I need to get my fill of eggs and pancakes to fuel me for the day.”

“Noted,” Betty chortled. “No nookie at breakfast.”

Jughead scoffed and turned to his side, lowering her towards the blankets and bit and using another rolled up blanket to support her back and keep her elevated. “Well, never say never.”

Their lips were slightly chapped from the wind as they kissed in the clearing, the same place they’d been escaping to for privacy since they’d been kids and where he’d first confessed his love. They were far from those innocent teens today.

Breathlessly, Jughead untangled himself from Betty, cursing the cold weather that prevented him from stripping his mate right there in the grass. With their noses still touching, they gazed at each other silent for a few moments, enjoying the privacy and the quiet.

“Are you nervous?” he asked after a few moments, tagging on his own confession after. “I am, a bit.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Betty whispered softly, tracing his reddened lips with her fingers. “We’re about to become the head decision-makers, peacekeepers, law enforcers, and problem-solvers for two hundred people. But I think being nervous is okay.”

Jughead gripped her hand and pressed it to his lips, kissing her chilled knuckles before laying down on his side so he could face her as they spoke. “Well, if you say nervous is okay, then I have to believe it.”

“That’s true. My word is law,” Betty joked, playing with the arm of the black leather jacket he wore for the ceremony. “My mom used to say that being nervous was good. She said if you  _ weren’t  _ nervous about something big, then it meant you didn’t care about it. The nerves prove it's big and important.”

“Who am I to argue with Alice Cooper?” Jug replied. “But I agree. I think we’ll be good leaders… and parents.”

He added the last part so softly and tenderly. Since she had told him Jughead had been a complete sap in regards to all things baby. She secretly found it endearing. Leaning forward, Betty began to kiss her mate a little less chastely than before, feeling achingly incomplete when not connected to him physically. Tongue chased tongue as lips nipped and teased, kissing as if they had nowhere in the world to be.

“Mmm-hmm,” a clearing throat coughed from behind them. “Busted.”

Jughead rolled and flopped on his back, groaning and pulling his beanie down over his eyes at the sight of Toni and Archie hovering over them, arms crossed and expressions unamused.

“How did you find us?” he asked unhappily from under his hat.

“I put a tracker in the sole of your boot since you two kept running off,” Archie said, annoyed. “You’re getting inducted as Alpha later! You can’t run off for a quickie in the woods!”

“To be fair, Arch, he’s never quick,” Betty joked, hoping to unsettle their councilman.

“That I am not, Archibald. A man needs to be thorough, which is why I will be a good Alpha. I’m never quick, but I  _ am _ ticked off you tracked us to our secret spot, which negates it being a secret.”

Toni rolled her eyes and offered Betty a hand, helping her to her feet. “You can be ticked off later, Jones. We need to get you back for the ceremony. We’re already cutting it close as it is and I don’t want FP to tear my limbs off before I’m officially on the council. Betty skipped half the Lumina prep.”

Betty grimaced as Toni pulled her up, feeling a bit guilty about skimping on her duties, but then remembering that none of it was important. “Toni, I’m thirty weeks pregnant. I do not need elder-women bathing me right now or anointing me with oils. I need a giant, terry-cloth bathrobe and a gallon of ice cream. I will come back and let  _ you _ draw the runes on me and stick whatever it is that Penelope left on my nightstand in my hair, but that’s where I draw the line.”

Since Betty could no longer shift as it could hurt her or the pup this late into her pregnancy, they had driven over to the grotto and took the car back. More than once Jughead joked about driving off into the sunset, never to return, the thought slightly tempting to them both.

The moment they arrived, a gaggle of frustrated, panting women seized Betty and pulled her towards the packhouse, her head lolling back over her shoulder at a laughing Jughead as she silently told him, “ _ Shoot me now _ .”

The next two hours were a blur of curling irons, body paints, and preparation. Normally they’d be receiving tattoos, symbols reserved for the Alpha and Lumina of the pack, but Toni had advised Betty to wait until after the pregnancy and Jughead decided to defer his until then as well so they could get inked together.

When Betty and a Jughead were properly adorned, FP met them in the lounge to escort them out to the ceremonial grounds.

“Betty,” FP said warmly. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. Even more so with my grandson jumping around in there.”

“Oh, FP,” Betty moaned. “Jumping is an understatement. Do you have Celtic roots because I’m pretty sure he’s step-dancing twenty-four-seven.”

“Jones blood,” he chuckled. “When Jug was a boy I had to glue his butt to a chair. Backfired because then he discovered books and never wanted to run again.”

“And yet here I am, somehow becoming Alpha,” Jughead joked back as his father offered him a tight hug.

“That you are, and I’m so proud of you… of both of you. The pack is beyond lucky.” FP took a deep breath and glanced over at the front door. “You two ready?”

Glancing over at Betty, Jughead nodded and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together in preparation for their entrance. Following FP, they strode through the packhouse doors and down the front lawn into the same clearing where they were bound in their mating ceremony. A black runner led the way and the entire pack lined the sides, turning in and walking behind them as they passed, symbolically showing they would follow them willingly.

It was a long walk down to the platform, but not a silent one. Behind them the pack members chanted their pack motto, “In Unity There Is Strength,” over and over until they reached the stage, the wolves fanning out and standing before them. Toni, Archie, and Sweet Pea stood on stage already, Fred, Penelope, and Harry Clayton. As the new heads of the council were installed, the old ones would step down, taking their new place, still on the council, but as advisors rather than the forerunners.

Ascending to the stage, Betty and Jughead stood front and center, FP to their left as the ceremony began.

“Brothers and sisters,” FP began. “Of all the convocations I conduct in my time, this one should be the most bittersweet; my time as your Alpha ends today and my son’s time begins. But I feel no despair or melancholy today, just immense pride in knowing that  _ my _ pack will be in sound hands with Betty and Jughead as your new leaders, ushering in our proud future.”

Howls and cheers came from the pack, all of them very supportive, especially after the resilience displayed by both Betty and Jughead during the trying times with Stonewall.

“Serpents, it is time for us to receive into our pack two new leaders, whom we have considered worthy to maintain and foster this brotherhood, continuing our tradition of being the beau idéal of packs. Before we can induct our new commanders, we must reconsecrate ourselves to the ideals of the pack. Serpents, recite with me!”

“A Serpent never shows cowardice. If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of. No Serpent stands alone. No Serpent is left for dead. A Serpent never betrays his own. In unity, there is strength.”

Once the tenors of Serpent Law had been recited, the initial six that built the pack, FP gestures for Betty and Jughead to kneel. Penelope kindly placed a pillow down on which Betty could kneel and she thanked her gratefully as Jughead took her arm and helped her to kneel before kneeling himself.”

“Okay you two,” FP grinned. “All you need to do here is say, I do. Don’t mess it up.” The wolves laughed as Betty blushed and Jughead chortled as well, appreciating his father’s use of humor to put them at ease.

“Do you swear to abide by Serpent law and to uphold our ideals to the best of your ability?” 

“I do,” they repeated together.

“Do you swear to dedicate yourself to extending the welfare and excellence of this pack, putting the pack’s needs at the forefront of your concerns?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear to encourage and hear all members of this pack, without prejudice or disregard, and execute rulings fairly and without favor?”

“I do.”

Archie, Toni, and Sweet Pea stepped forward, standing behind Betty and a Jughead with their hands on their shoulders.

“Serpents, we hope not to disappoint, but we thought it best to remove the snake-handling portion from our ceremony tonight. Somehow having a pregnant woman handle a rattlesnake just seemed wrong.”

Most of the pack laughed and nodded in agreement. Betty was as relieved now as she was when FP had told them weeks ago.

“Don’t let the girl fear the Serpent!” Nana Rose yelled harshly from the front of the crowd. “That’s how pups are made, you know!”

“Okay, Nana Rose,” Cheryl said sweetly, wheeling her ranting Grandmother from the gathering. “Judging by her condition I think Cousin Betty knows how pups are made. Back in your closet now, Nana, dear, for the benefit of us all.”

When FP finally caught his breath from laughter and Betty’s ears had faded to a lesser shade of red, the old council stood behind the new, displaying their support and unity of one another.

“In the name of the Serpent pack, we anoint and celebrate Jughead and Betty Jones as the new Alpha and Lumina of the Serpent Pack. May you lead in wisdom and health.”

One by one the wolves began to shift, howling at the stage to show their pride and love for their new hierarchy. 

The party began immediately afterwards, food and music lasting long into the night as the lounge was packed full of wolves, along with Alice and their honored guests, the Spellman’s. Sweet Pea had abandoned them at once in search of JB, explaining that he had asked her out each day for the past three months and she had repeatedly told him, “See me when you’re more important.” The time had come.

Cheryl joined Toni, and Veronica had a firm grip on Archie’s elbow, claiming she didn’t like how the young, single wolves eyed him now that he was on the council. Chuck had even congratulated them on their way in the door, shaking their hands and offering Betty a friendly hug.

“Where’s Kevin?” Betty asked curiously as she hadn’t seen him yet since the party had begun. 

Cheryl grinned devilishly and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “Last I saw he was most definitely  _ not _ engaged in a flirtatious tête-à-tête with that handsome Stonewall reject that Veronica went traipsing about New York with.”

“You guys!” Veronica shrieked somewhere into her fourth glass of something pink and fruity, ignoring Cheryl completely. “I can’t believe you’re officially in charge! And to think this all started the night of  _ my  _ birthday party! Your story screams,  _ Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid _ , to me.”

“Is that Latin or gibberish?” JB asked as she pushed her way into their circle, Sweet Pea at her heels giving Jughead a thumbs up.

“French, tiniest Jones,” Veronica explained. “Little by little, the bird makes its nest. It speaks of having patience and perseverance. After all those years of being secretive and afraid, you took it in stride and here we are.”

Jughead glanced over at his mate and Lumina, the quintessential leader and partner in his eyes, and suddenly had enough of the party. Without warning he scooped her up in his arms, smiling as she shrieked after becoming airborne, and turned to carry her from the room.

“Jones!” Sweet Pea yelled. “Where are you taking her? This is our party!”

Jughead shrugged and turned back to his friends for a moment. “Veronica's words inspired me. I’m taking my little bird back to our nest.”

“This is not your mating ceremony, Jones,” Toni barked, hands crossed over her chest as she watched his wave over his head as he left the room. 

“I’m Alpha now, Topaz,” he called back. “It’s whatever I say it is!”

After reaching the bedroom, Jughead put down his mate. Betty pretended to put on an angry face at his display of machismo, but he knew she was a phony because her emotions told him otherwise. 

“I can’t believe you dragged me out of there,” Betty said flatly as she backed away from him. “Maybe I wanted to continue the celebration.”

“Did you?” he asked in a mock, skeptic tone, slowly advancing towards her. “I thought maybe you might want to celebrate at a more private party.”

“You mean with the girls?” Betty teased, playing coy as he stalked her around the room.

“Not exactly what I had in mind,” he replied, slowing his steps a bit more before lunging towards her.

Betty pushed up on her tiptoes and in a moment was airborne, fluttering over their furniture as a Jughead went headfirst into the couch.

“No fair,” he whined. “When are you going to teach me to do that? We are  _ supposed  _ to be equals after all.”

“Are we?” Betty teased again, smiling at his faux-scowl.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to fly in your third trimester anyway,” Jughead teased smugly, proud of his quick wit.

The next thing he knew, Jughead’s toes were lifting from the floor and he was suspended mid-air as well.

“Holy- Am I doing this? Are you doing this?”

Betty just offered an innocent shrug before unbuttoning the black dress she wore and letting it plummet to the floor below.

“Oh, who cares how I’m up here,” Jughead said immediately, shrugging his suspenders off his shoulders as Betty floated to his side. “Are  _ we  _ really doing this?”

Shaking her head and laughing, Betty leaned in and kissed him, nipping at his lips as her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist.

“Fucking hell, we are doing this,” Jughead mumbled excitedly into her lips. “Can we even do this? Is it possible? How would we-”

“Jug?” Betty sighed. “Shut up and go with it.”

“Whatever you say, Lumina. Whatever you say.”

As their lips met and the rest of their clothing fell, the party raged on below. They couldn’t care less, lost in each other and in love.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I know Malachi being speared bu a shoe is ridiculous, but if the Riverdale writers can have a man in fringe on a rocket, I get killer heels.


End file.
